Representing West Forsyth HS Class of 2012...Danielle!

Our first Spokes Model, Danielle is a rising senior at West Forsyth and is SO excited about representing Anne Grant Photography to her Senior Class!
She brought a great look to the studio for her Spokes Model "test photos" (new for 2012 SpokesModels). With the simple design and color of her clothing, it doesn't distract from her at all. Also as I was looking closer at her images, her make-up application was just right. She looks natural, but she applied enough to bring out her best features.On that note, I have noticed a trend in heavier, thicker eyeliner which looks great for an exotic high fashion look, but sometimes if it is too heavy is can actually cause the appearence of slight distortion in the eyes in a portrait.  When you come for senior portraits, just be yourself...at your best!
We are still taking applications for Spokes Models, so it's not too late!

"You Are The Art" Portrait Gallery Exhibit

This exhibit will showcase some of our best images and we’d like to include you!

Our 5th Annual Portrait Gallery Exhibit will be on display May 2-May 31, 2011 at Casanova's Coffees & Fudge located in the historic Lewisville Mill at 6275 Shallowford Rd in the heart of Lewisville. We will be publicizing this event as an art exhibit and YOU are the art! 
In order to create excitement in the community, we will have an Opening Reception on Saturday, May 7 from 10A.M. until 2 P.M. at Casanova's Coffee. There will be door prizes throughout the day, so come by and register to win (you don’t have to be present to win, but the registration will only be available at the reception.)
All you need to do is authorize us to create a portrait from your past session; then you may pick up your new portrait when the gallery exhibit is over at the end of May.  This beautiful portrait is yours for the special price of only $99 (Reg. $399) for an 11x14 portrait or $149 (Reg. $439) for a 16x20 portrait.
You will want to respond quickly as this tremendous value of up to 75% off retail is only valid if ordered by April 6, 2011.
This is a great gift idea ...or maybe just to treat yourself!  
Special Note to husbands: this is what she REALLY wants..and you don't even have to go to the store.  We'll take care of everything for you!
(Special price applies only to images that were previously ordered since 2005. Orders already in progress do not apply.) Please call 336.766.8367 or e-mail by April 6, 2011 to discuss your pose selection.

Limited Edition Spring Portrait Sessions...FREE PORTRAIT SESSIONS!

Yes, you read that right, SPRING! We could be in for another spell of cold weather, but we are looking forward to a little preview of spring weather in the coming days. As a bonus, the daffodils are back! We are offering sessions in a nearby "field of daffodils" with NO SESSION FEES for a very limited time. Call 336.766.8367 and we will reserve a time for you!

Sally's Angels...Meet Sally at Hip Chics on March 12!

Our next client story is one of those that comes from a difficult time that blossomed into an organization to help others in a similar situations.
Our "Baby's First Year" program is designed to show distinct developmental stages in portraits.Since Sally spent the the better part of her first couple of years of life in a hospital, we extended her Baby Plan to create a portrait history of those important milestones, no matter when they happened. This is not unusual for our babies with special needs.
What was unusual is that out of those struggles that the whole family went through with Sally's medical problems, they wanted to give back to others in appreciation for those who helped them so much ...so "Sally's Angels" became a reality.
As quoted in this month's Forsyth Family Magazine:
"Sally's Angels is a wonderful charity that was formed in 2006 in response to the need a group of women observed when Sally was born and spent most of her first year in the hospital. Seeing the needs of parents who have a sick child and the financial challenges they face, they founded Sally’s Angels. The charity has dedicated its mission to helping families with critically and chronically ill children through their journey.
Since their first year, they have raised and contributed over $100,000,with funds going to support families of children at Brenner Children’s Hospital, Forsyth Medical Center, the Ronald McDonald House of W-S and other local organizations."
Now that Sally is 6 yrs old, she one "hip chick", but tomorrow she will make an appearance at the Sally's Angels fundraiser that is being held in conjunction with Hip Chics 4th birthday celebration. There will be a live radio show with Truth Talk Live Station and even free pizza from Donato's Pizza! There are many more fun activities planned, but the best part is that during this event,  for every $50 spent, $5 will go directly to Sally’s Angels. If you spend $100, then $10 will go to the charity. Each donation will be written on pink Angel Wings to be displayed around the store! We are proud to support Sally's Angels and now, tomorrow, it will be even more fun! See you at Hip Chics in Clemmons!

Baby Portrait Sessions ~ The beginning...

"Seek the wisdom of the ages, but look at the world through the eyes of a child."~ Ron Wild

On our "Baby's First Year" program, we portray 3 or 4 distinct stages during a time when your baby changes more than any other time in their lives.

We love to start with a newborn portrait session before the baby is 2 weeks of age, but many times our moms like to start at about 2-4 months while they are still tiny, very dependent and cuddly.

Even though those first gummy smiles are precious,  there is something magical about the look of wonderment in a baby's eyes... 

One of the many blessings in our lives...

This week's blog entry is not really mine, but written by my Daughter-In-Law, Crystal on her Facebook Blog (they are called "notes" on Facebook.)
Anyway, I wanted to share it for 3 reasons:

• Most Mommies can relate to this 
• It has a positive message that may be encouraging to others: that both parents have their own special traits that help in raising their son, Carter and the love she has for her family.
• It makes my heart so full and I am so proud that our son, Spencer is a good Daddy and husband, with such a loving wife. All of the things she mentioned that he does with Carter, Spencer did as my little boy, especially making car noises. I was touched by this and hoped other parents and grandparents would enjoy it.
  It is just one of the many blessings I count everyday...

Daddy's Boy
"Lately Carter has been waking up in the morning after Spencer has already left for work.  Sleeping in is a good thing, but it inevitably leads to a disappointed little boy.  You see, from the moment Carter wakes up, his first words are, "Daddy, hold you."  He LOVES his daddy.  I know he loves mommy too, but he is definitely a daddy's boy.  I don't blame him; daddy is usually more fun than mommy.  Daddy wrestles, spins, throws, has tools, makes the best car noises. . . . So I wait.  For the moment when Carter comes to terms with the fact that daddy really is at work and he won't be home until dinner time.  This usually takes about 15 minutes.  Until that pivotal moment, he will not let mommy enter the room, turn on the light or raise the shade.  15 minutes to wrestle with the idea that it's just me and him all day long.  But then he somehow comes to terms with it, because I am good at some things after all.  I'm the best at kissing boo boos, the best at singing lullabies, the best at butterfly kisses.  I do the best Little A impersonation, and I know how to dance to all his favorite songs.  So we somehow get by until dinnertime.  And my unconditional love for him remains unfazed when daddy walks through the door and I get to play second string again."

Anne Grant ~ The National Village Photographer?

A few weeks ago, we received a call from someone needing an updated portrait since she had been appointed in a new position. This is not unusual, since we "upgrade" a lot of business portraits, sometimes several times a week.
However, she went on to tell us she recently became the President and CEO of the American Humane Association, "the nation’s voice for the protection of children and animals." It is quite an honor to portray someone who has reached this level of recognition and success.

We will be telling you more about this worthwhile organization later, as we plan to do a Pet Portrait fundraiser for them, but I want to introduce you Robin Ganzert, Ph.D through the portraits we did at her parent's farm in Davie County. We've had some extra cold weather lately and this was one of those really cold days, so we bundled up and just made it happen since she needed these images right away.

Robin, her husband and 3 lovely children live in Clemmons, as well as one of her sisters, but it turned out that their other sister happened to be visiting from GA, so we made the most of it and were able to create wonderful multi-generational and multi-species(!) portraits. I consider this type of portrait almost more treasured than any other because it is so hard to get the family together..all at one time.

A Gift From Anne Grant Photography and Lime Lollies Children's Boutique

Lime Lollies Children's Boutique is located in the heart of Clemmons at 3570 Clemmons Rd (just up from the Post Office). They have a nice selection of heirloom clothing for special occasions such as Baptism or First Communion.

When you purchase an outfit for your child for these celebrations, Lime Lollies has made arrangements with us to offer a free portrait session, plus a bonus gift to commemorate this important time in your child's life. If you would like more info on the store, call 336.766.0509 or call us at the studio 336.766.8367 for more info on this offer.

Generations of Love ~ Wesley's Newborn Portrait Session

The first portrait session of the new year was one of the most anticipated events at our studio.

The Anne Grant Team joins with one of our own, Denise & her husband Ben, in celebrating the birth of their first child, Wesley.

Along with Wesley's grandparents and even great-grandparents, we all marveled over the perfect miracle that each new life represents.

Being photographers, you can imagine all that Denise and I had planned for his first portrait session. Even though he was only a few days old, he was very patient with us!

By the way, he didn't really weigh almost 12 pounds! He is a big boy, but the accuracy is thrown off because of the antique scales & the added weight of the blanket.

Model Call for Class of 2012 Senior Portraits

Do you: 

• Love to be photographed?
• Have an outgoing, creative personality?
• Want more than just boring, average senior pictures?

We are now accepting online applications for the Class of 2012 Spokes Model Team.

If you are chosen as a Spokes Model you will receive:

• FREE Indoor/Outdoor portrait session with an award winning photograper (value up to $149)
• FREE Photo Album for Facebook ($49 value)
• FREE set of personalized referral cards made with your images ($99 value)
• Celebrity Status! Be a VIP Senior, with the opportunity to appear in our marketing brochures, on our website and at displays in the community.
• A chance to earn fabulous prizes, such as a Spa Basket, iPod, or an iPad!

To be considered as a candidate, it's as easy as 1-2-3...All you need to do is:
1. Fill out the online application completely at www.grantphoto.com/modelapp.php
2. Become our friend on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/grantphoto
3. Join our Anne Grant ~ The Village Photographer Fan Page at www.Facebook.com/annephoto
Once we have reviewed your application, your Facebook personality, and Facebook photos, we will contact you with details about the next step. 

Typically we use girls as Spokes Models simply because they are more likely to show off their portraits with enthusiasm, but we can consider guys if they meet the criteria.

Please don't delay. We can only use 3-5 Spokes Models per school!

NC Family Portraits, Baby Portraits, Senior Portraits, Pet Portraits...and More!

Just catching our breath...we've been as busy as little elves, creating portraits and some fantastic Christmas cards for some of the nicest people in NC! The more we get to know our clients, we feel so fortunate that our lives can be enriched by these special relationships.
This year has been challenging, sometimes stressful or even difficult for many families we meet, but one thing I have noticed is how those situations can draw people to what is really important. It seems that people are taking inventory of their lives more than ever... treasuring the relationships, memories and the simple joys that happen in families everyday.  It is usually not the most spectacular occasions that bring us our favorite memories of family or friends and we are lucky to get to share in a bit of that everyday...

 

 Well...I could go on and on..that's all I have time for now, but there is more to come...

Portraits in Words...Stories From Our "Studio Family"

As most of you know, we consider our clients more than "just another portrait session". While we do appreciate their business, we are truly honored that they have chosen us to of photograph their families, their memories and their lives. We have made so many friends and they become part of our studio family.
Over the next few months, we will focus on some of their stories to touch your heart, encourage you, bring awareness to other people's causes or maybe just bring you a smile.
This first story about a beautiful princess named Olivia is a little long because there are many chapters, some yet to be told.
We use the word "Princess" often around here, but Olivia had no doubt about her "princess" status. The bumper sticker on her mom's van even read, "Yield To The Princess"!

The first portrait (on right) we made of Princess Olivia was in 2004 at her school when I was creating images for my Special Kids Photography certification.
Later in 2005, she came for a high fashion black & white session at the studio (shown here with her mommy, Karen). They were both DIVAS!

Even though we had a chance to visit her in 2007, the last portrait session in 2008 was her most "princess" session ever...she was soon to be leaving this earth to live with the King of Kings. This time when we went to visit her, all of her "adoring subjects" had gathered around making her feel very special. Again, she was getting in touch with her Princess-ness with everything princess from her blanket and pillow to her watch and her ring while wearing a princess dress and even holding a princess toy puppy. Oh, so much pink surrounding her..and so much love. Her Daddy is holding her hand here while he hugs her close to him.

As I write this, it still seems so sad that her life here was so short, but fast forward to 2010... I see her mom again, making a life for herself after enduring over 2 years of coping with overwhelming grief. She says it is "only within the last few months that she is more than a shell and learning to experience happiness again". After reading Elizabeth Edwards' book, Resilience, she wrote Elizabeth a note telling her how much the book had meant to her. That led to a series of events that ended up with Olivia's story being told on the Nate Berkus Show.  The production crew came to the studio to get permission to use Olivia's images on the show and ended up filming Karen by our pond for part of the show  (pictured above)....

and if you could read VERY fast we were even in the credits at the end of the show!
It was exciting for us, but mostly we were glad to see an uplifting tribute to a sweet little angel princess and those who love her.
On the show, it was fun to see Nate give Karen a special gift of new living room furniture and Elizabeth Edwards speaking with her.
As an update: just today Elizabeth's sister surprised Karen with a little gift!
Olivia's life still matters so very much...

It's Time to Plan Your Christmas Portraits!

Our Christmas Portrait Packages start at only $129 with NO SESSION FEE ...and something for everyone!

For a more contemporary look, we will have Santa Bits on Monday, November 15. It is a stylish way to have portraits with Santa, but still  keep your child(ren) as the main subject. Many children are overwhelmed by the big stranger in a red suit, so we can even have a parent wear the costume and not have to reveal that in the portrait since it just shows "bits" of Santa. In this image, you can see how effective this was with my own grandson and his father!

Then on Tuesday, November 16 we will have a Warm and Natural look with warm, earth tones and a touch of holiday greenery. This would look great from the very casual to a more formal look, but could also be used as a portrait on display year round.

Oh, Baby ... A special maternity portrait session!

At Anne Grant Photography we have been anticipating a very special gift!  Denise and husband, Ben are expecting their first child, a son, who should arrive just after Christmas.

Most of you have met Denise (our wedding photographer and portrait design consultant) on visits to the studio or when we are at events in the community...and you know how special she is to us.
We would like to invite you to drop by the studio on Sunday, November 14 anytime between 2 pm and 4 pm for a "Diaper Shower". This is a "floating" drop in event, so come by and bring a pack of diapers (any size) and/or baby wipes, or just a few encouraging words of congratulations. We love our studio family and we welcome any of you who would can come to share in the joy of this occasion.

Free Facebook Profile Pic by Anne Grant Photography

Today, Thursday, October 21 is the day for our 2nd All About You For ALS!

 There is a lot for you to enjoy at this event, but for those of you needing a new Facebook Profile Pic ...you know who you are :-) , come on by the Broyhill Conference Center between 4 PM and 8 PM.


You deserve an evening out for you...

.....and our friends with ALS deserve all the help we can give them, so come on out!

Snapshot of Summer 2010

Fall always reminds me of, "Tell the class what you did this summer". Of course, we did a lot of portrait sessions here and at the beach, but a few things we did in our spare time were...

At the Dash Baseball Game with Rotary Club

"Nolan the Exterminator" protecting us from a BIG Copperhead snake!

The Grants (and more, including 6 of our grandkids) came to W-S for a Christmas Tree Convention (Nolan's dad and brother are tree farmers in GA)

We had T-shirts and even a theme song for Grandad's Tree Trimmer that he invented!

Denise and Anne kayaking during a camping trip with big group of friends and their dogs at Lake Hartwell.

Nolan said it was one of his best birthdays when we went hiking and picnicking @ Hanging Rock SP 

At N Myrtle with our our youngest grandchild, Carter...he started calling Nolan "Pa" this summer!

Family Portrait Month...The Best Time To Update YOUR Family Portrait!

This October, we will participate with an elite group of photographers around the country in a very special family portrait promotion. Throughout the month, we will celebrate our 6th Annual “Family Portrait Month”. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to update your family portrait, and at the same time help to support Operation Smile, which treats children around the world who suffer with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities.

5 Reasons Why There's No Better Time Than Family Portrait Month To Update Your Family Portrait:

1. FREE Portrait Session *          
2. FREE Bonus Gifts
3. The holidays are the perfect time to share portraits
4. Saturday and Evening Sessions available (these book up quickly, call soon!)
5. You are a part of changing a child’s life!

*There is a suggested donation of $25 payable to Operation Smile, instead of the Session Fee  ($99 Value)

Christmas Card Preview Sale! FREE Portrait cards..ONE WEEK ONLY!

Back To School

The buses are rolling, the book bags are full and lunchboxes* packed...so we know school has started!

These girls have been coming since they were tiny babies and their mom is one of those "super portrait moms" who brought her 2nd and even 3rd daughter in for all the portraits the first one had. You can imagine (or maybe know from experience) what a big challenge that is. Please Note: This is NOT a judgment on those who are mere mortal moms, like myself and don't get "it" all done...I admire all moms for all they have to do!

Anyway, each year when they are just about to start Kindergarten, we have photographed them in the same outfit, right down to the little ruffled socks for their back to school portrait session. 

I know I say this a lot, but one of the greatest joys in what we do at The Village Photographer is watch the children growing up...through the lens, resulting in portraits that will be treasured by their children.

*Are there still lunchboxes? I had a pretty sweet metal lunchbox with all the Beatles on it in 2nd grade!