Introducing Charlie

When I first met Charlie's mom, it was a meeting in her furniture store about doing an ad for the newspaper. As I walked into her shop downtown on Wall Street, I noticed the amazing chair on display in the front window. It had a very antique feel to it, with a rounded, full back that was completely covered in signatures. Through the course of our meeting, it came up that Whitney had just gotten married last October, and that chair was the guest book at their wedding. What a creative idea for a guest book, and fitting when your family owns an established furniture store! Also through the course of the meeting, it came out that Whitney had gotten pregnant on her honeymoon. From that moment, I knew I wanted to shoot her baby in the chair when he was born.

Charlie finally made his debut, and I got my session. He's a little older than your typical newborn--he was about six weeks old for our shoot together. It's best to shoot newborns within their first seven days for a few reasons: a) they sleep constantly, and b) you can bend them in just about any position while they are sleeping. Once you start getting out of that glorious seven day window, they start getting more alert and less bendy. Charlie, although a beautiful little boy, was such a case. He was so excited for his first modeling shoot he just couldn't stand it. He wanted to be awake through the whole thing, and not miss one second.

So for two hours, we waited. Mom and I chatted. He ate. Again. And again. And again. I should have taken a picture of his swollen, happy belly before I left. We turned off the lights. Mom sang to him. She held him. Laid him down. Bundled him up. And fed him some more. Charlie just did not want to sleep.

Luckily I'm patient. And I had nowhere else to be. I was determined to get a shot of that boy sleeping in a chair that everyone his parents love dearly in this life had signed! And finally, after two hours, he slept. It was brief. But I got my shot. And it was worth the wait.

This shot just makes me laugh every time I look at it. I think Charlie is just as stubborn as I am. I think he threw me this look that says "oh, I'm going to sleep huh? Wanna bet?" I just love the look on his face, and those eyes! Why do I keep getting so lucky with children that have amazing eyes?

And finally, Charlie's birth announcement. Congratulations, Whitney!

Newborn Portrait Packages Coming Soon!

I'm currently in the process of putting together a newborn portrait package that will include, among other things, a custom-designed birth announcement put together based on the photography I have taken of your little one. Meaning your birth announcement will be custom designed just for you, and not chosen from an existing stock.

Many photographers offer a general stock of announcement templates you can choose from, and I do as well (in my Paper Shoppe). However, I am typically inspired by each individual session, and get a specific vision for how I want the announcement to lay out based on the unique photography that comes out of your session.

For example, after finishing up little Cade's photos, I had a clear vision for how I wanted his birth announcement to look based on the last story board series of yawns. I put together the design and sent a low-res version to Mom to take a peek. This template will soon be available in my Paper Shoppe, so keep an eye open if you're interested in offering it to your clients (photographers!), or if you want to use it for your own special little bundle of joy!

Ethni Paper Shoppe: Urban Baby Series

I'm just putting the finishing touches on a brand new Urban Baby series! These baby shower invitations, birth announcements, and thank you cards were designed with the urban mom in mind who doesn't necessarily want all the pastels and teddy bears typically associated with new baby items. Set the tone for your shower subtly, and announce your little one while still expressing your hip, urban style!

All pieces will be available for purchase in the Ethni Paper Shoppe very soon, and might include one or two more patterns to choose from. Although each piece is offered individually in the Shoppe, the set is also available for photographers to purchase as .psd files to make available to your clients! If you would like to be notified of new sets as they are released, or are interested in purchasing this set of templates, please email papershoppe@ethniphotography.com.

Ethni Paper Shoppe

In the last two weeks I feel like I've been hit with a bolt of creative lightning. The kind that can strike without warning and leave your hair on end. Anything, it seems, has given me inspiration. Vases, flowers, trees... (For some reason, I have a strange fascination with trees. It's one I haven't been able to shake since college, and am convinced will lead me on the endless pursuit of the perfect shot under a perfect tree.) Anyway, even a belt in an ad in the Harper's Bazaar magazine I was flipping through today sparked an idea. My mind is always going. A pad of paper and a pen are never far away to catch cryptic notes to be incorporated into something hopefully fabulous later.

Last week I began consolidating all these sparks of ideas into the next phase of my business: the Ethni Paper Shoppe, nestled deep in the wonderful world of Etsy. Now I must warn you, this is when the geeky graphic designer in me comes out. Please excuse me while I put on my thick-rimmed glasses... Ok. Much better. Now I can say this in full confidence: I giggle a little every time I see the avatar on my etsy page. It just so happens that the initials of my shop name spell out "eps," the vector format of choice for designers. No, I didn't plan it. But I kind of enjoy it.

Anyway, I have been working steadily for the last week to pound out solid designs for the shop. I would like to have more for the big reveal, but there just aren't enough hours in the day. There are currently seven birth announcements, save the date cards and invitations for sale, created to complement your brand new portraits. However all the designs are for sale to the general public, and can be customized with any photograph (with the photographer's permission, of course.)

What are you still here for? Go check out the brand new Ethni Paper Shoppe! Add me to your favorites or add an RSS feed to be the first to know of new designs that are added. The shop will be greatly expanding in the next few months. You guys are the lucky ones to be with me from the beginning! Now I'm going to go put my nerdy glasses away...

Special Announcements

The June issue of True North Parenting is at the printers as we speak, and I'm confident in saying that it's even better than the last, premiere issue! With a cover shot by Jen Thompson, and editorial photography by Erik Dungan and Kristi Eckberg (among others), the June/July issue is truly a showcase of the talent of local writers and photographers! We also added a new feature this month called "Local Picks," a review of locally-made products that we love (product photography courtesy of Heather Leggett). Look for the latest issue out on June 1!

Also, when you pick up your copy, look for my new ad in the inside back cover. Not many people know that in addition to capturing your favorite moments, I also offer custom graphic design for all your special announcements! This includes birth announcements, graduation announcements, save the date cards, invitations, business collateral and more! A page on my website dedicated to available templates will be coming soon. However, custom designs are also available. The first two people to respond to this post via email get a special discount on their custom design order! Email me at jane@ethniphotography.com to snag the discount!

And speaking of announcements, I have a few of my own! First, I've added my name to the list of proud sponsors of the upcoming Learnfest in September! The attendees will receive a fabulous swag bag, and there will be some surprises from me tucked in there among all the goodies! Learnfest will be the highlight of my year, even topping WPPI in Vegas! I can't wait!

Finally, congratulations to Lauren Blackwelder! She was the winner of April's Gentle Reminder contest in the premiere issue of True North, and will be receiving a free portrait session with me. Make sure to flip to the last page of the magazine to see the photos she submitted for the contest. They are certainly the epitome of "this too shall pass."

Don't forget to pick up the magazine early next week! Cheers to a great Tuesday!