Natasha Chalker Photography » Custom Photography

FALL ANNOUNCEMENTS | Enterprise Alabama Photographer

Natasha — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 01:25:09 +0000

SO excited about these announcements… Fall is just around the corner. It doesn’t seem possible with these hot summer days but they just seem to be flying by faster and faster. Here’s the scoop:

CHRISTMAS IN JULY – yes, Christmas will be here before we know it, too. (Only 163 days away!) We all know Grandma loves photos of her sweet grandbabies. What better Christmas gift than a beautiful custom photograph, framed and wrapped with a bow? While I’m not in on all the commercialization of Christmas, I do like to plan ahead so I’m not stuck shopping on Dec 24th. At 8pm. So for your shopping convenience, Christmas in July is here… Book a Fall Session (Sept-Nov) between now and July 31st and receive 25% off your (local) session fee + 1 complimentary 8×10 print. Fall is Filling up Fast for me, as you can see on my board here (I know, bad camera phone picture…that should change once Iphone5 comes out!) My son is playing travel soccer so my fall sessions are limited. I’m encouraging everyone to book as soon as possible.

For fall I’ve got some really sweet locations and super fun props – chairs, baskets, two awesome sofas, swing, and the list goes on and on.

FALL MINI SESSIONS – Interested in a short and sweet session? Consider a mini! With a mini session, you receive a collection with high resolution files and quality lab recommendations for optimal printing results. One of the collections offers Christmas cards OR a 20×20 fabric wall cling of your favorite shot. Have you seen these??? As soon as mine is hung, I’ll share it with you. They’re AMAZING!

A few card examples, to get you in the Christmas mood!

COMMUNITY SERVANT APPRECIATION – Now offering 10% off orders for our awesome community servants – active duty military, teachers, fire fighters and those in law enforcement. These are the very people that work diligently for our community, so they deserve some special treatment, right? Check here for complete pricing details.

THE F.I.L.M. PROJECT – I am pleased to announce that I was accepted into The F.I.L.M. Project. This organization provides complimentary photography services and prints for families with terminally ill loved ones. Please check out their website and join their Facebook page. If you know someone that would qualify for services, have them contact myself or The F.I.L.M. Project as soon as possile.

MOMMY REP PROGRAM – Would you be interested in earning free portraits? I’ve established a Mommy Rep program and I’m accepting applications until August 10th. Email for details on this exciting new program! natasha@natashachalker.com

3 WEEK TURN AROUND TIME GUARANTEE- We all want our finished photos quickly. I am offering an incentive for you! If you don’t have your proof gallery ready within 3 weeks of your session, you get a free 8×10 with your order. This applies to paid portrait sessions, not weddings or charitable sessions.

SUMMER/FALL BEACH SESSIONS - I will be at the beach the following dates: Aug 6, and Labor Day Weekend. Since I’m already planning a trip down there, you will receive a HUGE discount on some amazing beach photos. These, too, would make great Christmas gifts AND they’d look beautiful on Christmas cards as well!

Shew, that was a mouth full! Hope you’re having a fantastic summer and staying cool!

baby poop | Enterprise Alabama Newborn Photographer

Natasha — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 13:37:18 +0000

it comes with the job. I always tell my clients not to get upset when the baby poops or tinkles on my blankets or props. It happens. At every session. And I usually get pooped on, or tinkled on. At every session. It’s just part of the job! Baby Ella wasn’t any different than any other newborn, except that she pooped on me, twice! A little spray-n-wash, and my clothes are as good as new again.

Besides, who would really mind with a face as SWEET as this?

Or all pinked out like this?

I love coming up with unique ideas for every session. No two sessions ever look the same! I’ve never seen this done before:

Or this one, the sweet Princess and the Pea:

It just so happened we were at the beach the same weekend. I wanted to do some outdoor newborn shots and what better place than the beach?

Inspired by the AMAZING Carrie Sandoval. I envisioned this totally differently but I had to work with harsh morning sun and a slanted shore line so this is what I got.

Soft & Sweet Beach Sessions | Florida Beach Photography

Natasha — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 02:53:41 +0000

A few from last weekend’s sessions:

4 inch kite | Enterprise Alabama Maternity Photographer

Natasha — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 01:20:38 +0000

I could not wait to do these maternity photos for our good friends, Kasey and Kelly. I had so many ideas bouncing around in my head that I had to write them all down about a week beforehand, then of course I added to the list every day. We went to Walmart the day of the shoot and I walked down the toy aisle. Let me say, it’s been a long time since I’ve been in that section. My kids are older and not into toys much these days…sad Mommy moment, sniff, sniff… As Scott and I were walking down the aisle, a kite caught my eye and I had another idea to add to my growing list of things to work into our shoot. Scott looked at my oddly, like he does when I tell him most of my photo ideas. He doesn’t get it, and that’s ok. I see it in my mind, create it, then he says, Oh, now I see. Anyway, he kept asking why I was buying the kite. I went on and on about the sunset, sunflare, kite…his eyes started to glaze over and I knew I lost him. When we got to the location and I was ready to use the kite I laughed SO HARD. I mean, the kite was 4 inches long, 4 I N C H E S! HA! Scott said, I asked you why you had to have *that* kite! I didn’t really think about the size… but it worked anyway!

I was only able to capture about half of what I wanted to get that day. The sun set quickly and it got chilly…

Black and white with sunflare makes for some interesting shots

Here’s a hint, most photographers shoot stuff for themselves, for their own creative side, which is what I did that day.

We can’t wait to meet you baby Ella! We love you already!

click, click | Enterprise Alabama Children’s Photographer

Natasha — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:50:11 +0000

These kids were crazy about my old cameras – especially the one that clicked and had film in it! They had the best time taking pictures of ME, taking picture of THEM.

I’m a little behind on blog posts and sneak peeks. Busy season is here – for photography and for our family.

Tiniest brother is holding a toy camera and he certainly knew it. He wanted the “real” one, too!

I’m so in LOVE with backlighting these days. I love the softness, the light, the slight haze, lightly add some sweet processing – Makes me happy!

So far, after scanning the shots I took, this one is my favorite. It needed to be a soft black and white. Just perfect!

What beautiful children, don’t you agree?

Largest grasshopper I’ve seen – ever! He had to have been 3 inches long. Even I didn’t want to touch him and I’m fond of most critters. The boys had a great time chasing him and attempted to squash him a few times. He was resilient!

Dancing is like dreaming with your feet | Enterprise Alabama Photographer

Natasha — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:35:35 +0000

I met this sweet ballerina recently. Mom wanted something special, just to celebrate her dancing achievements. What a wonderful idea! Often times once when we have families, we forget to do something special just for the kids. Take some pictures for fun (and don’t make them say CHEESE!), go on a “date” with your child, stick a little note in their lunchbox, write a message on the bathroom mirror, leave a post-it by their bed for them to see when they wake up, brag about them in front of others. Every child deserves to feel special.

I told her I had to get some pictures of these boots Santa brought for her so I could show him the ones *I* wanted for Christmas!

Limited Edition Soft and Sweet Mini Sessions | Enterprise Alabama Photographer

Natasha — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 22:00:08 +0000

In case of inclement weather, mini sessions will be rescheduled for April 2nd.

And a few more, since I like to see them BIG!

the bluest eyes ever | Enterprise Alabama Photographer

Natasha — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:54:41 +0000

Amazing, aren’t they? I don’t see eyes this blue all that often so I was thrilled when his mom picked this bright blue sweater to go with his beautiful blue eyes… perfect combination!

These are the true color of his eyes, no enhancing or eye photoshopping done, that looks unnatural. Anyone that knows Drake can attest to how BLUE they really are.

With his sweet, sweet Mama.

I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen this done before… fun with toilet paper!

Love, love, love these rolls! He’s so squishy, yet very solid. I enjoyed every bit of our session and since the weather cooperated we were able to get some shots outside and in my little Petit Bébé studio.

February is booked with newborns and family sessions, plus the photography class I’m teaching at the end of February. There are 3 slots open so contact me for your reservation natasha@natashachalker.com There are a few session openings in March, too, so email or call so we can set something up!

saving money | Enterprise Alabama Children’s Photographer

Natasha — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 01:06:05 +0000

…that’s my plan for 2011 at least. I’m on a mission to save as much as possible, pay off as much as possible, yet still be able to feed my family, put gas in my car and maybe go out to eat or to the movies here and there. Should be easy, right? In this economy, uh, maybe not so easy. We all see the rising costs of everything – groceries, gas, utilities. Many of us, myself included, haven’t seen a raise in several years. Yet everything costs so much more! As frustrating as that can be, I still want to find a way to save. Currently I’m doing price comparison shopping and coupon clipping. In two weeks I’ve saved nearly $250 and stock piled half a cabinet of food and essentials. The cool part is, it’s been fun! Really! So much so that I’m in the beginning stages of starting a coupon club. If you’re interested, shoot me an email natashachalker@gmail.com Along those money saving lines, I’ve spent lot of time in thought and prayer about my photography business. I do this because it’s a creative outlet for me. I once enjoyed art, drawing and design when I was in junior high and high school. Photography has given me that creative outlet and I feel blessed that God chose the put this spark in me after all these years. As I pondered ways to save money, God placed it on my heart that I should be saving my clients money as well. Why not share in money saving with you all, too? Take a look at my pricing section {here} and you will notice some changes for 2011. (You will also find pricing on my main website www.natashachalker.com ) Many of my print investments are lower, my collections offer more for your money, and I’ve added a smaller priced collection to fit those that are price crunching, too. Both collections offer either print or digital options. I’m very pleased to offer a unique service in custom photography. For more information on this please check here { site } Every session I do is planned thoroughly, I edit every photograph meticulously, and I only show the very best memories captured. I do love the flexibility and immediate sense of gratification of digital photography like everyone else, but please don’t forget the art you are purchasing. That can’t be captured looking at a photo on your computer screen or on Facebook. The art of photography is what you hold in your hands, hang on your walls, place in albums and carefully turn the pages to look at over the years. The art is what you pass down to your children and grandchildren.

I have been photographing these gorgeous girls ever since the youngest was born, a little over 2 years ago. They just seem to get more beautiful each time I see them, if that’s at all possible! Below are a few links to their old sessions, and, wow, it seems my logo/branding/colors have changed a lot, too! I plan to stick with the new stuff for a very long time.

Sweet , Sweetly , Sweetness , Sweeties They’re totally sweet, don’t you think?

I love watching babies grow into toddlers, and toddlers emerge into children. What a blessing to witness.

12 Days of Christmas | Enterprise Alabama Photographer

Natasha — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:00:39 +0000

Starting December 1, I will begin the 12 days of Christmas GIVEAWAY on my facebook page… notice a theme here? Each day, something different will be available for free. I’m not just talking about photos or photography services either. Hopefully I will have something for everyone, maybe even you, so stay tuned!

Here she is. Almost 2. Almost. But every bit of 2. It must be fun to be 2. I can’t recall…

And one by it’s self because I love the hand on the hip, the pouty mouth, and it’s PINK’ed UP and girly. Just like Chloe.

Another hand on the hip shot. I almost forgot about this one. It’s finally looking like fall around here in south east Alabama, hence the warmer processing. Good thing fall is here because it’s nearly December.