| Recent Album Designs | Seniors, Families & Weddings: More than Images, Heirloom Designs |

Oops we’re a day late on my usual Tuesday blog post but I promise it’s worth it with a LOT of images/albums to check out today!

I know it’s kinda odd to do a ‘look back’ post as we are smack dab in the middle of the year BUT a photographer’s year is odd and not really broken up in the usual Jan-December flow of most. Instead, those of us who photograph seniors often think in school years too so May is always another ending/beginning for me as we say congratulations and farewell to our class of 2017 graduates and welcome in the next class of 2018!

Right now in the midst of finishing up album designs, graduation cards and booking summer family sessions for our 2017 grads I thought it would be fun to look back at one of my favorite products, our custom-designed albums!

Every year (and honestly every album) I try to push myself to try something new, find a new design element, work in a classic item in a new way or even invent/design a new element from scratch. Why? Because I want your album to be as unique as a fingerprint… as unique as you are!

Of course I LOVE our albums for our high school senior clients since these are often our longest sessions with the most locations and outfit changes an album just makes sense to show off everything we’ve created for you. This year we broke our record for most images in an album with over 100 (previously 86 was our record for a non-wedding album!). What other way can you show off, protect and share over 100 of your favorite images?!?! Unless you’re up for wallpapering your house (challenge me, I’m game haha) I think the album is the perfect way to show off everything we created for you!

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Next let’s check out our family albums for 2016! Just like our senior albums, our family albums give us a chance to show off all the different images we created which for families means all the individuals, ones with just the kids, etc. You’re all dressed up and ready for session already so our family sessions include MORE than just the whole family images… we take a few minutes to focus on each kiddo for updated portraits of them, plus show off every relationship in your family like momma with kids, dad with kids, siblings together AND the relationship that started it all mom+dad (sometimes it’s been YEARS since you guys have had a portrait together yourselves).

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Oh and don’t forget the family PETS!

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While we do a handful of individual session albums for families we also offer (and are in the midst of) planning for many heirloom albums that showcase not just one session from one year but all your annual sessions (typically in 5 or 10 year segments). Can you imagine… flipping through one album as your baby grows from an infant into a bubbly toddler then into a big kindergartener… then on and on through middle school awkwardness and into young adults through high school and on?! What a gift for the kids to have once they graduate college and start their own families, it’s like they are finally aloud to check those sites like imgsexy.com and start being adults!

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And I love to tell the beginning of your love story starting with your engagement portraits! We often design these albums as guestbooks which simply means we leave some blank spaces for your guests to sign and add their own notes and well-wishes to your album. Always remember who was there to help you celebrate your big day!

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Obviously you’ve seen that albums aren’t just for weddings anymore BUT they are still our favorite products for our wedding clients too! Talk about an heirloom piece. Our most popular wedding albums are stunning hand made albums printed in Italy and published with unique image covers including metal and glass prints!

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| Paw Prints Ministries | Comfort Dogs Get a Close Up | Pet Portraits |

This year I’m really excited to be adding a charity aspect to our Senior Model Program! I remember high school being a time when my world revolved around the halls of my own school, the volleyball court, weight room, homework, grades (college applications/ACT scores) and Friday night plans. And the bulk of my community and the rest of the world was unknown, or at least went unthought of most of my days.

Yet that was also a time when I COULD have made a lot of impact on my world. For at least 1/2 my high school career I wasn’t working and at least my summers were fairly unscheduled so I had a lot of time I could have been using to learn more about my community and create impact where needed. So this year I thought I’d try to give my senior models the chance to do just that this summer! And the most eager charity I reached out to was one run by one of my very own family clients the Dahns.

Though we haven’t had our work days for them yet we did just host a few session days in the studio to get some of their comfort dogs updated headshots (#corporatelife). Our goal was just a single headshot of each pup but OMG I was overloaded with cuteness and just couldn’t stop!

Ms. Mabel was the first up and she was quite the model, posing perfectly even with the fabulous little head tilt and hand in her paws poses all on her own!

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Then it was time for Finn! This guy has the smile AND puppy dog eyes down pat.

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And next it was time for Zoe to make me WORK. Check out her outtakes which will show you what she thought of our plans to start… look at those sly puppy dog eyes, attempt to ignore the treat and escape plans… finally just one big yawn before she put on her model face for some PERFECT puppy portraits!

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And then Mr. Enzo! This guy was a little shy to start and didn’t let his personality shine until we cleared out Hazel to give him his own stage but then those ears finally came up and he was a champ!

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And we ended everything with the lovely Ms. Hazel who just like Mabel was quite the natural in front of the camera with perfect smile and head tilt she was done in about 30 seconds with plenty of options!

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My favorite thing about pet sessions is that, just like toddler sessions, they are ALL personality and 100% unique. Sure all these sessions were in the same place on the same backdrop but not a single one was the same. These pups brought a big smile to my face on session day and I’m so glad to know they are out working in our community daily to bring smiles to all of you. New transmittable diseases are becoming more common with our canine companions, top rated dna test can usually predict if you have an at risk dog. You can find out MORE about Paw Prints Ministries, what they do, who they help and how YOU can help support them on their website here! And linked above each official PawPrintsPup has their very own facebook page you can follow.

I look forward to getting our seniors involved with them this summer and sharing more of that fun with all of you here.

Paco’s Sol Bistro | Small Business Feature

A day late on our monthly small business feature since yesterday was #BabyB’s second birthday so I wasn’t in the office, but I promise it’s worth the wait for the delicious local business! It’s our date night fav.

The Details: Pack’s Sol Bistro | Paco Greenwell, Owner | In Business: 7 years

Hours:  Tues – Thurs, 11am-8pm; Fri-Sat 11am-9pm Mondays 11am-8pm beginning June 5th! | Location: 237 N Main St. Downtown Decatur 

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Tell us about your business… What do you do? Full service bar and restaurant that features 2 private party spaces.

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paco's sol bistro, decatur il, downtown decatur, small businesses, sjp, sarah jane, food, drinks, decatur, small business feature

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What makes your business unique/special?  Unique, made-from-scratch menu featuring all original recipes.

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What item/service on your menu or in your shop do you just LOVE and think everyone needs? Everyone should try the chicken meatloaf or southwest egg rolls. And guacamole if you are a fan.

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In what way have you gone above/beyond in the past for a customer? We have made a special food feature for several of our regular guests for their birthday. (Actually did this today) We also have Tervis cups for our most loyal bar regular with their name on them. We have also featured art from several local artists.

What is the coolest thing you’ve ever had a client do for you? When hosting a charity event, some regulars purchased a painting they knew we liked and gave it to us to hang in the restaurant.

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What tool/equipment/or other vendor could you not imagine doing business without? My staff! They make it all happen.

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paco's sol bistro, decatur il, downtown decatur, small businesses, sjp, sarah jane, food, drinks, decatur, small business feature

What other local business do you just LOVE? Why? I would rather not single out any. We always try to support any and all that we can.

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Tell us about YOUWHY did you choose to do what you do?  I love to make people happy. There’s no better way to the heart than through the stomach.

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When did you know you wanted to go into this business? I didn’t choose it. It chose me. I needed a job at 18. I started as a server and had my first management job at 18. I just took to it naturally. Thru my time I discovered my passion and ability to cook and come up with recipes. I love the combination of art and science in cooking.

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What are you passionate about outside of your business? My wife and I are avid pool players and St. Louis Cardinal fans.

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Describe your PERFECT day… 85 degrees without a cloud in the sky, hanging in the pool with my beautiful wife, my dogs, our family and friends. Music blasting, food on the grill and laughter all around.

See the latest news at:

http://www.solbistro.com/

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!

Filippo’s Pizza & Pasta| Small Business Feature

This month it’s time to share with you a little hidden gem of the Mt. Zion area. I have to admit that while I’d heard whisperings of this pizza especially from my MTZ senior clients, it was my intern last summer who really solidified our need to include them as one of our small business features. Ms. Olivia touted them as a staple in their family and the place for the best pizza in town and I have to say I fell in love with the character and warm Italian welcome of this place as soon as I walked in. Not only did the smell of fresh homemade pizza sauce fill the air but nearly every inch of wall space was adorned with warm, adorable and often clever nicknacks. So now without further ado, I present to you Filippo’s Pizza & Pasta:

The Details: Klaus Koehne,Pizziaiolo at Filippo’s Pizza & Pasta | In Business: The restaurant has been here for 20 years, and I have been a part of it for about 15 of those years.

Hours: 4 PM – approx. 11 PM, Wednesday through Sunday| Location: 435 N State Highway 121, Mt. Zion, IL 62549| Phone: 217-864-4467

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Tell us about your business… What do you do? Simply put, we make pizza and pasta. You want the real skinny on us, then it is more complicated than that. Not a lot of places still make dough the way we do, using a recipe that changes based on how the flour crop was last year or if the weather is coming to be particularly humid. Our product is constantly being refined and tweaked, even after all of these years. The sauce is freshly made a couple of times a day, and with the way the owner taught me to do it, no measuring cups are used. It is a pinch of this and a scoop of that. There are subtle differences day to day, and that is something that pleases me so much!

Our pasta side of the kitchen just keeps getting better and better. Recently, the owner and the man who taught me everything I know about being a chef, Enzo Galbo, loosened the reins on our creative freedom a bit, and nothing has shined quite so brightly as our pasta chefs. On my side of the kitchen, the pizza side, I strive for synchronization. Sometimes an hour or so will go by on a busy night without a single word having to be spoken between my sous chef and I. The pasta chefs are the complete opposite. They are constantly talking about what they’re making with each other and bringing out tasting spoons to be certain that everything is at its peak. I think the dishwashers hate them a little bit for all of the extra spoons they’re washing every night.

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What makes your business unique/special? Our pizza is something else. All of our products are pretty great, really. But the thing I know more than anything else is pizza, and I have to admit that it still, after all of these years, gets me excited. One would think that eating pizza every day would get old, but it really doesn’t. We are unique and special and little snowflakes because you can see with our open kitchen everyone getting in the zone and really getting into cooking. Honestly, we aren’t ignoring you if you are at the window and we aren’t talking to you; we are just in the groove.

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What item/service on your menu or in your shop do you just LOVE and think everyone needs? Pizza. Everyone needs pizza. It’s no secret. I need pizza, you need pizza. Everyone needs pizza! Seriously, you do. Pizza is an old tradition and borders on a life style in some parts of the world. There are books on it, t-shirts about it, bumper stickers, etc. Pizza is the bee’s knees and you need it in your life.

In what way have you gone above/beyond in the past for a customer? Oy. Let me count all of the ways. Look, we say this all of the time to each other, because we all have friends outside of our little restaurant in the service industry: we are so lucky to have the customers that we do. Our customers genuinely the best, and we always do our best to make them the best product and find ways to better serve them. I want to find a specific example, but it is something that we try to do on a daily basis, so it is hard to pinpoint one example that stands out.

filippo's pizza and pasta, filippo's, mt. zion il, decatur il, sjp, sarah jane, commercial photos, small business feature,

What is the coolest thing you’ve ever had a client do for you? Again, our customers are the absolute best! You want the coolest thing? Nah. Let me tell you about what keeps us going. Sometimes we get little notes from our clients thanking us for doing this or that. We have some of them put up in the kitchen, and I catch my co-workers looking at them when they’re busy or stressed. It’s the little things that mean the most. Similar things occur with our Facebook reviews; they come up in conversation pretty regularly. It’s a nice pick-me-up on those tougher nights.

What tool/equipment/or other vendor could you not imagine doing business without? I kind of hate that it’s a dough roller. We have a rolling pin and we know how to use it, but man does that mechanical dough roller make our job easier. I have worked nights when the dough roller goes down and we are stuck rolling by hand and it slows us down quite a bit.

filippo's pizza and pasta, filippo's, mt. zion il, decatur il, sjp, sarah jane, commercial photos, small business feature,

What other local business do you just LOVE? Why? Ok, so it is no secret that we are a bunch of nerds at Filippo’s. The Hidden Lair just down the road has been a source of endless hours of post-work entertainment for us. Man, that place is great!

WHY did you choose to do what you do? Sam Jones said to me one day that his six-year-old self would be so proud of him for making every day a pizza party. Truer words… Honestly, I just love this place. It is something I can believe in. It put me through college (twice) and when the opportunity arose to run it and flex my cooking muscles a bit, I jumped at it!

filippo's pizza and pasta, filippo's, mt. zion il, decatur il, sjp, sarah jane, commercial photos, small business feature,

What are you passionate about outside of your business? I love art, particularly photography and writing. When I am not at the restaurant, you can usually find me chasing the next shot or in my office editing.

Introduce us to your STAFF

Benjamin Luchtefeld, pasta chef and head server: Benjamin has been with the business almost as along as I have. I think he has over 13 years under his belt.

Sam Jones, pasta chef. Sam is doing some next level stuff and keeps pushing the rest of the staff to do better.

Brandie Ewing, pasta chef: Brandie has a cooler head than almost anyone else I have ever met. She is unflappable.

Jordan Robertson, sous chef on  both pizza and pasta: Jordan is a switch hitter in the kitchen and can do just about anything. He is indispensable.

Wolfgang Stubblefield, pizza sous chef: Kolton and I have become so in sync that some nights we won’t speak for hours.

Alan Sharp, server: You may hear us all groan when Alan starts singing, but it really does keep us going. He really keeps moral in check.

Nick Rainey, server: If you spend anytime in the Decatur or Champaign area, you have undoubtedly run into Rainey helping someone. He never stops.

Clayton Schinzler, driver & dishwasher: Clayton is one of our newer employees. After just a week it had already felt like he was an old friend working with us for years.

Matt Ekiss, driver: We are going to be sad to see Ekiss go when he goes off to university. I think we all just feel better and cheerier having him around.

Konnie Bates, server: Konnie has been working in the MTZ serving circuit for so long that she fees like a pillar of the community.

John Farr, dishwasher: John keeps moral up; he always has a way to get us all to laugh.

Lucas Mays, server: Lucas has been with the restaurant since he was in high school, and now that he has graduated college he immediately came back.

filippo's pizza and pasta, filippo's, mt. zion il, decatur il, sjp, sarah jane, commercial photos, small business feature,

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| Jamie + Mike Engagement & Family Portraits | Decatur, IL |

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OMG you guys! I cannot tell you how much I’ve been chomping at the bit to show off this snowy session. I’m honored to be photographing Jamie & Mike’s wedding day this year and this gal wanted a snowy engagement session SO BAD and we were almost certain it just wasn’t going to happen for us. After some disappointing snow flurries early in the season which amounted to little more than a dusting that was melting by the time either of us was on the phone to begin planning logistics we both resigned ourselves to hope for a late season snow but things were looking pretty bleak (ie sunny and WARM). I knew how much Jamie really wanted a snow session so I had even started calling around to my photography friends in other northern cities to call me if any snow hit their area and we’d just make a road trip…. it wasn’t looking promising.

But then….. this lovely and random one-day blizzard arrived in true mid-western style! And it was just what we needed! The stars really aligned for this with both Jamie and Mike off work that day already and the opening in my schedule falling right after school these two were able to pick up their little guy and make it over to the park in the midst of a gorgeous snowfall! After that perfect session we’re all so happy we hadn’t jumped the gun and tried to make a session work with a tiny bit of snow because our patience was rewarded with this BLIZZARD!

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And from a kid’s point of view how cool is it you get to PLAY IN THE SNOW for your portrait session?!?!

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I’m so excited these guys have opted to share their wedding day with me and have me be a part of creating their family legacy and even more thrilled we were able to create exactly what Jamie envisioned for their engagement/family session. We have ONE opening left for a 2017 wedding and are currently booking 2018 (only 8 openings left) so don’t hesitate to call to schedule a time when we can chat about creating your portrait vision. And be sure to pop over to Jamie & Mike’s facebook album to give them some love.