This Blog Has Moved!

I am so thrilled to release my brand new Blog! Please go to: www.suzieseagraves.com/blog from here on out. I have been working on this for awhile now and have finally gotten it ready! I did this all by myself and I'm so proud of the outcome! This site will no longer be active, but it will remain online so you can always refer back to see your images. Please make sure you update your RSS feeds and Google Reader with my new Blog URL!

Christmas in New York

Since I was a little girl, I have always dreamt of spending Christmas in New York City. Being born and raised in Florida, its so hard to get into the Christmas spirit while running the A/C and shopping in shorts and flip-flops. I decided this year that I wanted a white Christmas and took me, myself and I to NYC! What an amazing week I had. Being by myself, I had the opportunity to go and do what I wanted to always do and soak in every drop of the City's magnificence. There is nothing like NYC at Christmas! It was unbelievable for a Florida girl to wake up on Christmas morning and put on a coat, scarf and gloves, grab a cup of coffee and venture out. I stopped in to Christmas morning mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral; watched the skaters at Rockefeller Center; and strolled through snow-covered Central Park. From the hustle & bustle that had been going on all week, the park was eerily quiet and nothing could be heard but a lone saxophonist playing Christmas carols. I sat on a park bench and listened to the music and it was awesome. Here are just a few of my shots. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I will return with normal business hours on January 5th. And for those who have asked, NO flash was used in any of these shots except the one of me at Tavern on the Green. All were taken using available light, sans flash.

A rainy, Christmas Eve in Central Park (taken with my Point & Shoot)

These little guys were as frozen as I was, I think! Christmas Eve in Central Park (taken with my Point & Shoot)

Christmas Eve dinner at Tavern on the Green (taken with my Point & Shoot)

Christmas morning at Rockefeller Center

Christmas morning mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral

Christmas morning stroll thru Central Park

The saxophonist playing Christmas carols on Christmas morning in Central Park

Santa and his "sleigh"! This guy was driving around Manhattan on Christmas morning

Closed for the Holidays

After 2+ months of working nonstop, 7 days a week, 24 hour days, with little to no sleep, I am taking a much-needed break and closing for the holiday season. Please note that I will be closing as of Saturday, December 20th, and will reopen on Monday, January 5, 2009. I will have very limited to access to email and voicemail during this time. Please contact the studio after January 5th to schedule a session or inquire as to my availability. I'm heading off to NYC and will hopefully be posting some pics from up there. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

~~~~~~HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!~~~~~~

Once Upon A Christmas Village

I am thrilled, and honored, to photograph a movie premier tonight! Once Upon a Christmas Village will be premiering Hollywood-style with red carpet arrivals and celebrities. This animated short film has won just about every award around the world that can possibly be won. I'm so excited to be a part of this event! Photos to come, so stay tuned!

The Cost of Custom Photography

I recently found this great article by Children's Photographer, Marianne Drenthe/Marmalade Photography. She discusses why custom photography costs so much, compared to the chain mall studios (which I will not name since we all know who they are). Marianne discusses why it costs more to hire a professional photographer to come to you versus going to one of the chain studios. Here is some of her wonderful article, which I couldn't agree to more:

"Even though you pay $1.99 for a print at your local drugstore and paying for film is pretty much a thing of the past (although you still pay for memory) you may be wondering why you may pay upwards of $40, 50, 70, 90 for a custom photography print. Some photographers hear this statement every once in awhile: "How in the world does a photographer charge $60 for an 8×10 when they cost just under $2 at the drug store?"

The answer is multifaceted and has a lot to do with the time, equipment costs, artistic vision and reputation of the photographer, expertise and the usual costs of running a legitimate business.

TIME of the CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHER:

Approaching it from a time standpoint, for instance let’s imagine if you will that you have hired a photographer who has work that you love and that is traveling an hour to your on location session. Time breakdown:

• session prep time (30 mins - 1 hour, includes equipment and back-up equipment checks + vehicle checks)
• one hour travel time TO session
• 15-30 minutes prep time at client’s home
• 90 minutes-2 hours with client photographing subject
• one hour travel time FROM session
• 30-45 minutes uploading time from digital cards from camera to computer
• 30-45 minutes time spent backing up the original images
• 2-5 hours editing time to present you with a diverse gallery of edited images
• 1 hour prep time getting ready for ordering
• 1 hour sorting through and checking order
• 30 minutes-1 hour prepping order for shipping and getting order shipped
• any additional phone time or time needed for add on ordering, shipment issues, quality issues

As you can see, average client time for a session ranges from just under 13 hours to 19 hours dependent on the photographer’s level of service. This is time dedicated only to your session. When the photographer charges $150-$300 for the photo shoot you are not just paying for the two hours of session time, you are paying the photographer for 12-19 hours complete time for your session.

COSTS of the CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHER:

Regarding equipment costs, a good quality professional camera with a selection of good optical quality lenses and digital storage mediums and computer set up can run from $10,000-$30,000 costs dependent on the photographer. Even though you can purchase a really good quality digital SLR for about $2100, there are still other costs related to photography. A good lens for portrait photography can run up $900 to $2500. A dependable computer system with software loaded for business and creative usage can run $2500 to $8000, dependent on the photographer.

Then come lab costs for specialty products. A good photographer knows the lab is integral to their success. Photography labs dedicated to the professional photographer often cost more and offer a range of products that allows the custom photographer to continually offer new, innovative products for you, the discerning client.

Discussing other costs of running a photography business could take awhile so we’ll skip the intricate details. There is of course much more: including costs of running the business, taxes, studio rental/mortgage if the photographer has ownership of a dedicated studio, vehicular costs, costs of advertising/marketing, costs of sample pieces that the photographer will likely bring to your session, etc.

APPLES to ORANGES:

Often times clients will mention to their photographer that X studio in the mall/department store only charges $25 for an 8×10 or they may mention other things related to discount photography chains. The fact is those discount chains make their money on volume, not on customized 1:1 service. Did you know that in February 2007 a rather well known discount department store that started in Arkansas closed down 500 of their portrait studios across the nation? The reason is simple, you cannot make money on 99¢ "professional" prints if you do not sell enough of them. Interestingly enough those same studios that offer the loss leader packages often charge much much more for their a la carte pricing (as high as $40-50 for an 8×10). The reason the big department stores began offering portrait studios in the first place is to get you in their door so that you could spend more money with them in their other departments, the true "loss leader".

Going to a chain studio, as a consumer, you don’t have the benefit of 1:1 attention for 2 hours at your home where your child is allowed to explore, play and be comfortable in their home environment, nor do you get the experience that many custom photographers are known for or the lovely captures of natural expressions. You simply get a bare bones, "SAY CHEESE" experience. Keep this in mind when selecting a photographer.

I hope this (lengthy) article helps shed some light on WHY a custom photographer is a better choice for your family’s memories. The photographs that are produced as a result of the professionalism and dedication that your photographer has will be cherished for a lifetime (or more) and great thought and consideration should be placed into hiring who is right for your family’s most precious "investment." Chain mall studios may be cheaper in these hard economic times, but in the long run... you ultimately get what you pay for.

Pain Solutions Magazine

I am thrilled to announcement my involvement with a brand new magazine, Pain Solutions. One of my awesome Clients has started this new magazine that is going to be centered around pain management and alternative solutions. I have been brought on as Senior Photographer and I am SO excited to be a part of this new venture. They are hoping to have their debut issue out in May '09, but I will keep you updated. You will be able to find it in physician offices nationwide, as well as Borders, Barnes & Noble, etc. My first assignment was headshots of all the Team Members, which was a pretty easy one given that they are all gorgeous!