| Hannah | Senior Portraits Class of 2018 | Decatur IL |

Well technology issues are absolutely NO fun but I supposed it was about time after years and years of nothing but little blips for us to have a major melt down crash of epic proportions and that’s exactly what happened last month to our blog and then website (which super fun perk, includes our email!). Luckily, a couple friends of mine from college have a small business web/design business so I was able to get them on the job and let them work their magic. And I’m so so so excited to say that this week we are back up and running and I have a TON of sessions to share with you from the weeks we missed starting today with Hannah’s first half of her senior session!

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We kicked off Hannah’s session at her beautiful home. I LOVE having senior (and family) sessions at client’s homes because it adds a level of personalization that we just cannot get anywhere else. Even if we aren’t showcasing the home (like we often do for family sessions) you’ll still always know that those were your trees, garden, yard, etc even decades later when you look back on the images.

Plus, these guys kept a little hidden gem up their sleeves and when I pulled in and saw this beautiful classic car I knew we had to work it into the session. It wasn’t originally planned but it worked so so well with Hannah’s outfit and added one more unique element to her session.

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After finishing up at her home we headed down the street for a bit more urban look and I love the locations we found!

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One super fun thing for me with parents on session is creating something they saw happening but had no idea was actually happening! The below images was a fun example of that. To start this shot I went back into the alley behind Hannah to setup the light… to the untrained eye I was basically meddling around in a dirty back corner of an alleyway. Then at Hannah’s premiere here mom saw these images and goes “OOOOOO that’s what you were doing back there!” and she loved them. We laughed about how she could not figure out what in the world I was doing back in the corner before shooting this.

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We’ve got the second half of Hannah’s session scheduled later this summer but we wanted to fit in the first half before she graduated. Stay tuned for more later this summer! And as always a big thank you to the talented Katie at Mint Salon for the beautiful hair/makeup.

| Chris Bradley | Decatur IL Music Performer |

I’m excited to share a few recent images of Chris Bradley who is a local lawyer and musican I’ve been working with for a couple years to create promo images for. This year we not only created the new promo images for his posters and website but also a headshot for him to use in his law practice. It’s always great to collaborate with Chris as he’s always got a plan/vision in mind for what we want to create and then I get to put my spin on things and add in my pose/positioning thoughts to really make it a duel collaboration.

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You can see some past images for Chris here. And check out some of his upcoming performances:

​5/18/2018     8:00 PM     Walnut Street Winery, 309 S. Walnut Street, Rochester, IL

​6/8/2018       7:00 PM     New Moon Café, 3755 E. William Street Road, Decatur, IL

6/9/2018       TBA           Warrensburg Fire Department Chicken Fry, Warrensburg, IL

7/13/2018     7:00 PM     New Moon Café, 3755 E. William Street Road, Decatur, IL

​7/20/2018     8:00 PM     Walnut Street Winery, 309 S. Walnut Street, Rochester, IL

​7/27/2018     8:00 PM     Monarch Brewing Co., 212 S. Independence, Monticello, IL

8/10/2013     7:00 PM     New Moon Café, 3755 E. William Street Road, Decatur, IL

8/24/2018     8:00 PM     Walnut Street Winery, 309 S. Walnut Street, Rochester, IL

9/14/2018     7:00 PM     New Moon Café, 3755 E. William Street Road, Decatur, IL

 

| Heather + Blair | Mt. Zion, IL Wedding |

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Heather and Blair are the stars on the blog today! These two are the sweetest and their wedding day was full to bursting with love and family and fun. We kicked off the day at the day getting ready at their homes (where even Heather’s dog got fancied up for the special occasion).

This was my first wedding at First General Baptist Church and I have to say I’m a big fan especially with it being just walking distance to the beautiful Garden Path which we made our first stop after finishing formals inside! And Heather and Blair’s reception location was just as beautiful so we spent some time around sunset on the Hickory Point Golf Course grounds.

Their album is currently being hand-crafted in Italy and I cannot wait to see it in-person so soon!

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| The ArtFarm | Decatur IL Small Business |

The Details: Peggy S. Baity, Owner | The ArtFarm | In Business: January 16, 2018

Office Hours: Tuesday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm | Saturday 10:00am-2:00pm | Location: 252 N Park Street, Decatur IL 62523  | Phone: (217) 330-9664 | Website: https://www.facebook.com/artfarmdecatur/ 

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What do you do: I own and operate The ArtFarm and the 11:11 Ankrom Gallery.

What makes your business unique/special? I feature handmade goods by Midwestern artisans with a concentration on as local as possible. I also curate monthly gallery shows that showcase local artists as well. I’m all about promoting the magic that happens right here under everyone’s noses.

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What item/service on your menu or in your shop do you just LOVE and think everyone needs? Anything locally made, which is everything in here! When you support local artists, you’re making the world turn in your community.

What is the coolest thing you’ve ever had a client do for you? I had one of my artists make and deliver my family dinner! I was in the process of opening, she knew how stretched for time I was, but still like to have my family seated around the dinner table every night. She made that happen for me. I also had a friend bring me breakfast on a very busy Saturday, not to mention friends and family that have stepped up to help without even being asked.

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What tool/equipment/or other vendor could you not imagine doing business without? Why? My camera. People in far-off places have seen my photos online and purchase items. I love coloring outside of the lines.

What other local business do you just LOVE? Why? I’m enamored by Decatur Brew Works, Blue Brew, The River, Speakeasy Records, and good ol’ GB’s. The first are new and looking to fill a void in our community, and GB’s has been a staple in my life since they opened within walking distance of my childhood home!

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Tell us about YOU: I began my research by producing a couple pf pop up markets, PopLocal, just to get a feel for what was missing in the area. Turns out, everything was! There is SO much local talent with little or no outlet to be seen and so much regional talent that a big part of Decatur isn’t aware of, so I am filling both of those voids!

When did you know you wanted to go into this business? High school. Really.

What are you passionate about outside of your business? My kids, gardening, music, cooking, nature.

Describe your PERFECT day: Being off on a travel adventure exploring different communities!

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See our other past small business features to connect with more businesses in our area:

See more on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @sjanephotog, Instagram @sjanephotograhy, and Snapchat @sjanephotog

If you’d like to have YOUR small business featured for FREE on the SJP blog (or know a small business we should feature) you can find details HERE! These features are 100% free and we’d love to feature you next.