Starks Photography Blog

01.25.10

I'm condensing today. 3 sessions into one, massive, photo-packed post. This way, I'll get all of these sneak peeks up for our clients to see, and I won't seem overwhelmingly redundant on Facebook and Twitter (Check out our blog! New post up! *5 seconds later* Check out our blog! New post up!).

Plus, I'm about to go to the gym, and I have a limit on how long I can be wearing athletic attire without actually doing any sort of physical activity. It's a very small window. If I wait too long, all hope is lost and I will submit to watching Law & Order: SVU in workout clothing.

So without further adieu...

Up first is Michael.

He's a Senior at Mariner High School in Ft. Myers, and played football for their team.

We are really close to his family (his dad, Jeff, married us!) - they're awesome.

Michael has been through a lot of challenges at his young age, but he has a bright, incredible future ahead of him and we are excited to see what's in store for him after graduation!

***

The next two sessions are from Love Through the Lens. I know I've said it a thousand times, but I'm so glad that we are able to do this. It's given us a chance to meet some amazing people, and give back to a truly fantastic cause. If this is your first time hearing about LTTL, check out the blog post here for more details. :)

Meet Kendall, Cody, and Brooke. Brooke and Cody are twins, and Kendall is the oldest. Cody wasn't as thrilled to be in the photos as the girls, but he was a good sport. :)

This was our second sister session, and I'm absolutely in love with this type of shoot. Probably because I have a fabulous sister of my own (hi Callie! :)), but there's something about photographing the bond between sisters that makes me super happy.

Gorgeous!

LOVE this. And I feel like it says so much about their relationship! :)

***

And last, but certainly not least, is Ashley. Well, a portion of her, at least. ;)

Since Ashley has a modeling background, she was incredibly easy to photograph. I also adored the fact that she brought so much to the shoot to showcase the football-loving side of her personality (future clients - take note! :)).

She's truly just as sweet and fun to be around as she is beautiful! :)

I couldn't decide between this one and the last one, so posting both seemed like the best option. :)

We had such a blast at all three of these sessions - thanks to all of you guys for hanging out in front of our cameras! :)

(*We have 2 LTTL shoots left - they are for January 30th in Ft. Myers, FL. If you are interested, shoot me an e-mail! :))

(1) Comments Leave comment Send to a friend

Ashley Camblin:

Thanks Ben and Amy for an awesome afternoon!! I had a blast! Ya'll are the best! :)

(01.25.10)

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fresh look | the results

01.11.10

Finally. I don't know about you, but I was dying for Sunday to get here so we could start making some changes on this thing. And here we are! Mission accomplished.

This was certainly no easy feat, but you all took on the task at hand and contributed tons of helpful input. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for participating in our little poll (and our big decision). Without you, our brand would be one scattered mess of colors, and we would probably be giving each other the silent treatment. ;)

The results claimed palette number 4 as the winner, and we stuck to that...sort of. We actually tried out palette numbers 3, 4, and 1 (the palettes that seemed to consistently receive the most votes throughout the process) and decided which one looked best once applied to our blog.

Sadly, number 1 was immediately withdrawn from the trio first. I just couldn't get the image of this guy out of my head while looking at those colors on our site.

We fell in love with the lively, energetic green and the simplicity of the grey from palette 3, but the blue that we originally paired with those colors was too light. So we incorporated the blue from palette 4 to complete our branding scheme (have I successfully confused you yet? I'm definitely NOT a numbers person, so I lost myself a long time ago).

Basically, what you're looking at is the new look. We hope you love it as much as we do. :) (p.s. Our website also reflects the change, so check that out as well!)

Along with our new look, I have 'spruced' up our logo (haha...pun really not intended, but I had a good laugh when I reread that line). I've been wanting to incorporate a 'pair' in our logo for sometime to illustrate the team (of Ben and I) that makes up our company. I think our relationship as husband and wife really speaks to who we are as artists, and what our business is all about. We are partners in life, and in photography. And I wanted to emphasize that somewhere in our brand. So I chose two trees. The trees are also significant because I believe that they symbolize growth. Our logo will always be a reminder to continually push ourselves in photography, and keep moving forward; growing together as a couple, and growing our business as photographers.

Ok I think that's it for now. Oh wait! The winners of the gift certificates. That's the real reason you're here anyway, right? ;)

Congrats to Tricia and Christen for winning the $10 Amazon gift cards! I will be e-mailing you ladies shortly with your prizes. :)

Again, thank you to ALL of you for voting, and for your insight! We're excited for the future of Starks Photography and we're looking forward to adventuring through 2010 with you guys! :)

(**sidenote: if you're viewing our blog on a Mac using Safari as your browser, you may notice that the color of our logo doesn't quite match up to the rest of the navigation bar. We are working with our design company to get this resolved promptly. In the mean time, you can utilize Firefox to view the blog with the correct look. :))

(3) Comments Leave comment Send to a friend

tina morrow:

looks awesome! :)

(01.11.10)

Anonymous:

Happy colors, happy company. Love the trees addition.

(01.11.10)

Cami:

hahahaha I am still laughing about the 'spruce' joke!

(01.11.10)

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fresh look | a poll

01.06.10

It's 2010. A year of change. In a couple of days, Ben and I will be posting our New Year's resolutions on our blog (we're fashionably late this year), and some of these will include goals for our photography business. We are determined to push ourselves creatively, and stay true to who we are as artists and individuals.

We believe that our brand has to be unique to who we are striving to be - across the board. It's difficult to describe our photography 'style' (and sometimes seems a little too forced to do so), but there are a few things that we definitely hope to emphasize through our images. Innovation. Beautiful simplicity. Emotion. Passion. Boldness. Inspiration. Down-to-earth...ness. ;) These are the things that we love, and these are the things that we try to create with our cameras. We've grown a lot over the last couple of years and we are certainly not done growing. Through this growth we have started to feel more confident with our brand, and in our abilities. The future is a beautiful, vast, unknown territory.

That being said, it's time my friends. Out with the old, in with the more fabulous. We need a new look. For a little while now, we haven't really felt that the color scheme of our company meshes with Starks Photography as a whole. This branding of brown, teal and tan has served us well - very well. But it's time to take our 'look' in a new, style-consistent direction. The color palette of our business may seem like a very small part of the puzzle, but really, we believe that it's pretty essential. This palette is all over the place - our website, our blog, our business cards, our logo. This is what is seen first - part of what draws people in. This is why it's crucial to make sure that this aspect says something about what Starks Photography is all about.

So for the past couple of days I've channeled my inner design expert (which isn't very 'expert' at all, really), and created a few new palettes for us to jump off of. Not to get all hippie-kumbaya-ish on you, but these colors speak to me. They draw me in. They connect to our brand.

But we have a problem.

Ben and I are the King and Queen of Indecisiveland. A world where it takes 30 minutes to figure out where to eat, and relationships are tried when paint colors have to be selected for the bedroom.

So basically, we need your help.

Below, you will find 6 color palettes (containing 3 colors each). Some of these may look similar, but there are differences. Big enough differences to make us not be able to decide on our own. ;) After the selection process is over, Ben and I will decide exactly how the colors will be utilized (i.e. which colors are dominant, and which are accents). That will be solely up to us. Lord. Help me now.

Now, all you have to do is vote for your favorite. That's it! Just click the little button next to your choice and you're done! Easy-peasy. You can vote as many times as you'd like, so vote for your favorite until your little heart is content. Or if you're like Ben and I, come back and vote for each one separately. ;) To sweeten the deal (and thank all of you for helping put this decision behind us), we're going to give away 2 $10 Amazon gift cards to 2 different voters. All you have to do is comment on this post to let us know that you voted (and be sure to include your e-mail address!). We'll randomly select 2 winners after the voting is closed. Voting ends Saturday, January 9 at 11:59p.m.

Thanks for participating! :)

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(42) Comments Leave comment Send to a friend

Stephanie Sanderson:

Number 4 :)

(01.06.10)

cora:

Go Bold...i like #1

(01.06.10)

Jennifer Goodlet:

I VOTED! Love them all though it was hard to pick one!!

(01.06.10)

Jennifer Eileen:

Well, I voted for #3 but I think I may come back and vote for one other. If I had the opportunity I might have switched certain grays. But alas, they are all lovely.

(01.06.10)

Andy Schuler:

i went with #4. but i also like 3.

(01.06.10)

Jenn Merkley:

I voted too! I like number 1 the best :)

(01.06.10)

Sarah:

that was tough but i voted :)

(01.06.10)

Whitney F.:

Definitely #2. The colors really look good together and they pop. #2 is the way to go : )

(01.06.10)

jennifer m:

i like #4 :)

(01.06.10)

Quirky:

Vastly in the minority by all counts but happy with my choice.... I think 5 pops! All three shades are in play... 4 might be two tones as the pale blue gets lost, IMHO. Just me....

(01.06.10)

Anonymous:

#2 POPS too!

(01.06.10)

tina morrow:

#1 - with that purple it really rocks!!! :)

(01.06.10)

Kimberly:

Ohh this is tough! I would say my vote falls between Color Palette #3 and #4... so hard to choose!

(01.06.10)

Letty:

I like 4... But I LOVE 1! It's bold... It screams unique... It embraces rich manly tones, yet oozes with the simplicity of feminine romantical tones. To me... It has Ben and Amy written all over it! If you don't use it... We will!! Haha.

(01.06.10)

Shay:

I voted for #1 because I love the purple!!!

(01.06.10)

Ellen DeLoach:

Color Palette 1 for Doug and Ellen! You guys are so cute!

(01.06.10)

Windy:

I love the bold! #1!!

(01.06.10)

Ashley Camblin:

I picked #2, but I also really like #1!! :)

(01.06.10)

Jessica:

#1 for me! :)

(01.07.10)

sarah bray:

I voted! Wow, I see I am in the minority.... I love #5 - modern and clean, but something about it makes me feel calm :-)

(01.07.10)

Megan:

I picked number 2, but I also really, really liked number 3 because of the green. But.. the people are speaking. Looks like number 1 may take first place. (;

(01.07.10)

Ashley McCormick Photography:

I looooove #3!! There is something so modern and spunky about it. I can't wait to see what you two pick!

(01.07.10)

christen:

it was between 3 and 4 for me, but i went with 3!

(01.07.10)

Josh:

I really like the first two palettes, for completely different reasons. The second one is maybe best in terms of brand consistency (which is something to think about), because the blue looks so similar to what you have now.

The first one is a lot of fun. I think it fits your style well, and it feels very contemporary without being cliche. Thus making it the best for an overhaul of your brand, which seems to be more the direction you're heading. The only concern I have is that it might compete with your photos, though if you're careful I think you could pull it off.

Anyway, good luck with it all. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Peace - Josh

(01.07.10)

Chaundi Parham:

I went with #5 :)

(01.07.10)

Becka @Studio222 Photography:

My 2 favs are the ones with the least votes. LOL.

(01.07.10)

courtney randazza:

it was hard to chose just one! haha! but I liked #3 :)

(01.07.10)

Tammy Irwin:

Now you could post your top 3 choices and give everyone a chance to vote again.

(01.07.10)

Phyllis:

I like the vibrant colors.

(01.07.10)

Leigh:

I voted for 6 but if it's a choice between 3 & 4 then I prefer 4 :) xx

(01.07.10)

Nana:

All are nice, but #4 is my pick!

(01.07.10)

Tricia:

I love #2!

(01.07.10)

hayley:

i voted, love #1!!

(01.07.10)

Hannah Fell:

number 4! usually I love purple, but that teal-ish color is totally speaking to me, ha!

(01.07.10)

Alisha:

Voted my loves

(01.07.10)

Maria V:

#2! Yep, definitely number two. :)

(01.08.10)

Callie:

I can only vote once! :( But #1 needs to win! Count like 300 more votes from me for #1..b/c I can't make it happen!

(01.08.10)

Kristin:

I picked number 2! love you guys!

(01.08.10)

Kristin:

hmmm.....maybe i like number one now....i like number 5 too! ....dont pay attention to my votes right now..ill get back to you! lol

(01.08.10)

Shannon:

I love the third one so much.

(01.08.10)

Amber McKinley:

#2 (:

(01.09.10)

Lindsay:

I voted for #2!! - Lindsay

(01.09.10)

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love through the lens.

11.19.09

Her name was Mercy. Fitting, because that's precisely what she was to us - a godsend, a blessing.

When we were introduced to her, she was 7 years old with a shy smile and a sweet spirit. When she expressed her dreams, she was poised and confident - ready to take on the world and any challenges that she faced along the way. She was mature beyond her years - undeserving of the circumstances that surrounded her, but unwilling to allow anything to bring her down. She was a trooper; an eternal optimist.

Mercy lived in the country of Ghana, so we never actually met her face-to-face. But that didn't matter. We knew her. We kept in touch through letters and photos, learning more and more about her, her family, and her life that was taking place in a town thousands of miles away from us.

We were given the opportunity to send a financial donation every month to help support Mercy in the various areas of her life - areas that we often take for granted; health and hygiene, education, nutrition. Our monthly contribution seemed so small when placed on a large scale, but we felt humbled to even be able to be a small part of Mercy's life.

Throughout that experience, I was prepared for the sense of happiness we felt by being able to help someone in need. What I was not prepared for was how much Mercy impacted us. Her letters and her story inspired me. Here was a girl, less than half my age, proving that she knew more about how to handle life and all of it's unexpected twists with much more grace than I did. Here was a girl, who in spite of situations, managed to keep a genuinely positive attitude on a day-to-day basis. Here was a girl, who knew how to truly enjoy being alive. She didn't waste her days with frustration and stress and worry and grief. Instead, she faced each morning with a smile and a hopeful perspective.

This broke me.

Why can't I live this way? Why do I constantly let insignificant irritations and disappointments alter my mood? After being introduced to Mercy, I felt ridiculous. Ridiculous, and transformed.

Giving back to the world around me has always felt necessary, but now it has become crucial; it has become natural. Mercy has made me view life this way; I'm no different than any other person in the world - no more deserving than someone else. I just happen to have been dealt a different hand. And basking in the victory of pocket Queens hardly seems like a fair or satisfying move in the card game of life.

I'm not a saint, and I don't feel like I deserve a gold star for my outlook. I have had and continue to have tons of selfish moments as well as ones that are filled with pessimism and defeat. But I am trying. I see the beauty in generosity, and I want to have a soul that is full of compassion. I want my heart to break for injustice, tragedy, and hardship. And then I want my reaction to be passion - raw, overwhelming passion for helping those in need.

Mother Teresa "got" this idea of compassion in action. And she lived it. She said, "If you want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out. To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it."

So here we are - putting oil in our lamp.

Love Through the Lens is a mission to give back. We want to utilize our abilities and our equipment for a purpose far greater than ourselves. This year, we will be supporting Invisible Children - a cause initiated by a group of young people, motivated to make a difference in the war-ridden country of Uganda. Please watch the following video (from Invisible Children's website) to gain a better understanding of this great movement (*depending on your connection speed, you may need to pause the video to give it time to load):

This movement ignites an eagerness in us to take action. Brooke Fraser says it best in the lyrics of her song, "Albertine": "...now that I have seen, I am responsible..." We have a responsibility to support those who cannot support themselves, and to help deliver justice for those who have been treated unjustly.

Here's our plan (in brief):

We want to offer photography sessions for $100 each. The sessions will be 35 minutes long (one to five participants per session). The participants will receive coverage time, a disc with 25 full quality, edited images from their session (with shared copyright privileges) and a free 5x7 print of their choice. The sessions will take place in various locations all over the state of Florida, on 4 different dates in December and January (four 35 minute slots for each date). There will be 16 sessions total. 100% of the money raised through these sessions will go toward the Invisible Children movement.

Here are the dates and whereabouts (*dates that are crossed off have been booked):

~~- Friday, December 11 - 3:00-3:35 in Lake Wales, FL~~

~~- Friday, December 11 - 3:40-4:15 in Lake Wales, FL~~

~~- Friday, December 11 - 4:20-4:55 in Lake Wales, FL~~

~~- Friday, December 11 - 5:00-5:35 in Lake Wales, FL~~

~~- Saturday, January 16 - 3:00-3:35 in Winter Park, FL~~

~~- Saturday, January 16 - 3:40-4:15 in Winter Park, FL~~

~~- Saturday, January 16 - 4:20-4:55 in Winter Park, FL~~

~~- Saturday, January 16 - 5:00-5:35 in Winter Park, FL~~

- Thursday, January 21 - 3:00-3:35 in Lake Wales, FL

- Thursday, January 21 - 3:40-4:15 in Lake Wales, FL

~~- Thursday, January 21 - 4:20-4:55 in Lake Wales, FL~~

~~- Thursday, January 21 - 5:00-5:35 in Lake Wales, FL~~

~~- Saturday, January 30 - 3:00-3:35 in Ft. Myers, FL~~

- Saturday, January 30 - 3:40-4:15 in Ft. Myers, FL

~~- Saturday, January 30 - 4:20-4:55 in Ft. Myers, FL~~

- Saturday, January 30 - 5:00-5:35 in Ft Myers, FL

Here's how you book a session:

E-mail us; in the subject line, type "Love Through the Lens." In your e-mail, please provide the date/time you'd like to book us for, the number of people in your group, and any other questions/thoughts you may have (*sidenote: I will be updating this post often by marking off session slots that have been booked). We will e-mail back with details about specific locations and directions.

If you like the idea of this cause, but you don't need or want new photos, you can still participate! We are offering special gift certificates for this mission (Christmas is right around the corner...;))! Simply e-mail us, and we would be happy to send you the printable certificate that you may fill out for someone that you love. :) (below is a smaller version of what the certificate will look like):

Just want to donate? Click here to be directed to Invisible Children's website.

**UPDATE (on 11/22/09)**

We have received questions about the type of session you can book. The answer is - any! Spotlight, Trash the Dress, Just Because - they are all applicable for this offer.

Also, we have been e-mailed by a couple of photographers asking if they can utilize this idea. Absolutely. We would love for more of our peers to take part in this opportunity, so please e-mail us if you are interested.

Ben and I are thrilled and humbled to be able to utilize our business for such a worthy movement. We hope that you guys are equally excited! Thank you for partnering with us in this action of compassion - we love each and every one of you! :)

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tina.morrow:

What an awesome idea Amy Lee and Ben! Love it. :)

(11.19.09)

Leigh:

So now it's not only your photography that I find inspirational. I take my proverbial hat off to you both for initiating this project which is sure to be an overwhelming success. I only wish that I was within reaching distance to be part of it... Come over with Shirley and do a wee photo shoot in Cambridge! Yes, you can even bring the dog! :) Brilliant! x

(11.20.09)

Cora:

I am very proud of you both! I wish that my family were going to be around for those dates i would certainly do it! You are AMAZING!

(11.20.09)

Gina Barca:

Way to go Amy & Ben! Wonderful way to use your God given gift as a gift to those in need :) Best of luck on the project I hope EVERY session is booked and more!

(11.20.09)

Adrienne Caudill:

Love your site. Love this idea! I am so glad that your photography business is doing so well and it is so inspiring to see using it for the good of others! Sometime when I'm in FL, I would like to have you do some family pictures for us! You guys keep up the good work! :-)

(11.30.09)

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site launch contest winners!

05.30.09

It's like peeking from behind the couch before screaming "SURPRISE!" at a birthday party. It's like pacing the hall of the hospital moments before your child enters the world. It's like sitting on the edge of your seat while watching the Magic destroy the Cavs in game 6 tonight... ;)

It's the feeling of anticipation.

I don't know about you, but I've been feeling it all week! I'm not even elegible to be one of the winners of the contest, but I found myself getting super antsy for today.

There's no point in dragging anything out, because I'm well aware that my amazing way-with-words is not what draws you here today (and most of you have probably already scrolled to the list of winners). ;)

Here's how this went down - everyone was given a number (based on when you entered your comment; 2 numbers if you had an extra entry). I inputed the numbers into the necessary fields at randomizer.org. The Randomizer popped up with winners. So, freak out on the Randomizer if you don't like the results - not me. :)

Without further ado, here are the fabulous winners:

Receiving a $15 iTunes gift card...

*Chantel Hagner!

Receiving a $10 Starbucks gift card...

*Jessica Crosson!

Receiving (the other) $10 Starbucks gift card...

*Brianna Phelan!

Receiving a $15 Tijuana Flats gift card...

*Erika Brennan!

Receiving a free mini Just Because session...

*Hannah Fell!

Receiving a Just Friends DVD...

*Shirley Hanko!

Receiving an iPod shuffle...

*Jennifer Martin (of Jennifer Martin Photography)!

Congratulations! I will be contacting you all soon to collect addresses to send your prizes to. :)

A HUGE thank you is in order to everyone who participated in our contest. Your thoughtful words about our site and our work were incredibly encouraging. Ben and I feel so inspired and blessed, and we cannot express how much we appreciate the outpouring of support from all of you. And your grab bag stories were horrifyingly hysterical. :)

Keep checking in with us! We're excited for the future of Starks Photography!

**P.s. - our site domain name was officially switched back this week, so bookmark this address: www.starksphotography.com :)

(2) Comments Leave comment Send to a friend

Brianna Phelan:

That's super awesome! Thanks so much - I can't wait to finally check out Starbucks. Now I have no excuses :)

(06.01.09)

victoria benito:

De verdad que son muy bueno en el trabajo que hacen,pero mi nieta es preciosa se me cae la baba cada vez que veo a mi princesa

(06.18.09)

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