H&M Photography & Design: The Blog

Product Spotlight & Gift Idea - Mini Brag Books

These little books are super cute and a perfect little gift! They're 3 x 3 inches - perfect for keeping in your purse or displaying in your office or home - and feature 10 square photos. Check them out:

 

 

 

They're printed on pearl paper and the covers are canvas. 

The price is $45 for a set of 3 (of the same) and $10 for each additional copy. To order, just email me.

Just a reminder - these and other items must be ordered by December 14 in order to get them by Christmas. Can't decide what you want to give as a gift? Give an H&M Photography gift certificate in any amount or for any type of session!   
 

Giving IS Awesome!

You know someone. You know someone who's experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can't afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family's spirit, love and beauty.

You know someone. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography -- $500 worth, to be exact - that's a portrait session and a $400 print credit! Whether it's a canvas or coffee table book, prints for Grandma or custom cards, it's in your power to give them the artwork they deserve this holiday season.

This is all part of something called Giving is Awesome - a worldwide effort by photographers to give back to their communities, and something I'm very proud to be involved with this year.

The rules:

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services. (Being unable to make mortgage payments for a two-million-dollar-vacation-home in Paris does not qualify as sincere financial need.)

* The nominee must reside in one of the following counties in Georgia: Clarke, Oconee, Barrow, Morgan, Gwinnett, Jackson, Hall, Walton or Madison. Tell me who you know, what they're experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. (There's no need to write a novel, but just a couple lines won't cut it.) Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well (a phone number, address and email address would be nice). Not in this area? Find other participating photogs here.

* You must e-mail me the full story: hmhmaynard@gmail.com.

*Both sessions must be held by August 2010; weddings not included in the offer. Sessions must be held in the Athens, Georgia area.

The winner will be announced by Christmas day -- so get nominating! I can't wait to read all of your entries! All nominations must be turned in by December 18. We're enlisting some of our very best clients to help us pick the winner.

Open your heart to someone this holiday season -- and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine. 

With love,

Heather

Fall and Holiday Scheduling

This time of year flies by so fast and before we know it, Christmas will be here. It's a good time to go ahead and think about holiday photos, cards and gifts. 

I still have a limited number of weekend sessions open between now and mid-December. If you're interested in a session, please contact me very soon. These will be booked on a first come, first served basis and will be held rain or shine. (If you plan an outdoor shoot and it rains, I promise we'll find somewhere fun and dry to go!) If you're interested in a weekday session, just give me a call or send me an email and we'll work something out.

Christmas cards must be ordered by December 3 (view 2009 Christmas cards here). Photo books must also be ordered by December 3 in order to receive them by Christmas. All other prints and items must be ordered by December 14 to be ready for Christmas. Photos make great Christmas gifts (so much better than a pair of socks, right?)!

If you can't get your order in by the deadline, you can always give an H&M Photography & Design gift certificate for any amount or any type of session! Just contact me if you're interested. 

Happy holidays!

- Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia photographer

Introducing "Brag Books"

I've spent lots of time in the last few months looking for a few new products to offer. One in particular that I was looking for was a "brag book" of sorts - a book, small enough to carry around and fit in a purse, that could be printed with lots of images from your session (or multiple sessions).

I've finally found one that I like. It's 7x7 inches, hard cover with photos printed right on each page and on the back and cover. They can be anywhere from 20 pages to 100+ pages, and they serve as an excellent way to show off a new baby, grandchildren, your wedding photos or any photos from your session. They make great gifts, too!

To test them out, I created a little book for my friend and client, Katie. Actually, the book is for her new baby boy, Lane. 

I wanted it to be something that Lane (and the whole family) can look back on in several years to tell the story of the day he was born. But I also wanted it to be kid-friendly, so I paired graphics with photos and text to tell his birthday story in a children's book style. I was at the hospital, camera-in-hand, on the day he was born, so I was able to use photos that were shot on his birthday to tell his story. Here's how it turned out:

Here's the full book (click each photo to enlarge):

Back, spine and cover:

Brag books start at $65 for a custom-designed 20-page book. Please ask if you're interested! Additional photo book sizes, including larger coffee table books, are available.

-Heather Maynard, Athens, Georgia photographer

Give the Gift of Photos for the Holidays...Or Anytime!

I just got back from two photo sessions today and dinner with friends. The holidays can be a crazy time! There's not always time to get everything done - I know I always plan lots of projects that I could never have time to complete! 

If you're still looking for holiday gifts (or maybe you haven't even started shopping, like me), think about getting someone special a gift certificate from us!

Gift certificates can be gifted in any dollar amount, package or for a particular type of session - just give us a call and we can customize it for you. They may be used for photography or design services. Gift certificates are great for:

• New moms or expecting moms for maternity or newborn sessions
• Newly engaged couples for engagement sessions 
• People who don't always take time for themselves to have photos taken 
• Parents - no matter the age of their children 
• A family gift 
• Entrepreneurs needing design services for their business 
• Any special person on your list! 

Give us a call or send an email to order your gift certificate. 

And don't forget - one more day to enter my blog giveaway. To enter, just vote on your favorite image from the previous post. Happy holidays!

 

Your Input Needed...And a Giveaway!

I am in serious need of some new business cards. Every time someone asks me for one, the only thing I have to offer is a promise that I'll print some soon - not a great way to get new business, I know. But the problem is this: I don't know which photo to use on my card. I look at these photos so often that I can't decide which is my favorite, so I figured I'd seek some slightly more objective opinions - yours!

Here's what I'm going for: one side of the card will have my logo with my info, and the other side will be a single photo for big impact. For some people, this will be their first impression of me as a photographer, so it has to be something that makes them want to give me a call, or at least check out my website and give me a second thought.

I've chosen a few photos that are my favorite. What I'm asking you to do is tell me which one is your favorite (and the reason behind that choice, if you'd like). If there's another of my photos that I didn't include that you think would be better, I'd like to know that, too. Just leave a comment on this post by clicking "comments" at the bottom of the post.

And...the giveaway!

Just for giving your opinion, I'll enter you into my giveaway for a set of 25 holiday gift enclosure cards and 25 gift stickers - personalized for you:

 All you have to do is make your choice and leave a comment by Sunday, December 7 at 5 p.m. I'll draw a winner randomly and announce the winner on the blog on Monday and notify the winner via email (so please provide your email address when you leave your comment). 

So here are the choices for the business card photo:

Option 1:

Option 2:

Option 3:

Option 4:

Option 5:

Option 6:

Thanks for your help, and good luck!

I'm Thinking I Need Some of These for Myself...

A few weeks ago a client asked me to photograph him and his son as a birthday gift for his mother. He said that she's always mentioning that she doesn't have any photos of the two of them. As children get older, there tend to be fewer and fewer photos of them - especially photos with their family. 

The client was looking for a ready-made gift for his mom, so I went online in search of the perfect frames to complement the photos. His mom lives at the beach, so I needed something beachy but versatile. I was SO happy when I found them on Etsy! 

Farm Frames are handmade of vintage wood - perfectly distressed and shabby chic. They'll look beautiful in her beach home (although I can definitely see using them in other places - like my house!). 

What's even more important than the frames, though, is that she'll have the photos that she's been asking for.

How long has it been since you had a family photos taken? Don't forget that photos make a great gift - especially when paired with cute frames like these: