Larry and Kelly Attend Pro Photo Convention

Larry and Kelly attended the Professional Photographers of the Ozarks, annual fall convention, held October 28-30, at the Inn of the Ozarks in Eureka Springs. Around 150 pro photographers from the midwest were in attendance.
The convention featured several educational events.

Larry said, "I've been attending this group's convention for 30 years. Each time, I learn something new."

The attached photo is from a test session that Larry did after returning from the convention, using a new lighting technique he learned at the convention. You'll be seeing more of this type work in future sessions.

It's Razorback Basketball Time!

During warm up time before the game, some of the Razorbacks exhibited their dunking skills.


First year coach, John Pelphrey, came into the game for a few minutes and hit this 3 pointer.

Friday night, October 26 was the Razorback Red/White Scrimmage game. I am once again getting to cover the games for the Branson Daily Independent newspaper. I am in the process of doing an article about Steven Hill for the newspaper.

For more information on the Red/White game, check out Hog Wired.

To see more photos of the game, go to:

http://www.plumleephoto.com/sessions.html

Password is: redwhite

Like Mother, Like Daughter

This year continues to be "eventful" for the Plumlee family. Last Sunday morning, Lajunta and Larry were going for a walk. They were walking on the road, less then 1/4 mile from their home. Lajunta stumbled and fell! She landed on her right hand, and the side of her face hit the pavement. They had to use the cell phone to call Kim to come and pick them up. Her arm kept hurting, so on Monday she visited the doctor. After a few x-rays, the doctor said she was very lucky to not have broken her arm, it was just a bad bruise. They put her arm in a sling, gave her some pain medicine.

Fast forward to Wednesday. Kelly was leaving the studio a little early. She was walking to her car, turned her ankle, and fell, landing on her hand! She couldn't get up, so she got her cell phone and called Kim in the studio. So for the second time in the week, Kim had a call, "Come and get me, I've fallen down".

Luckily, she didn't fall on her stomach (she's 7 1/2 months pregnant). Her wrist kept hurting, so she went to see the doctor. The doctor didn't think it was broke, but put her arm in a sling and gave her some pain medicine.

What's Your Most Prized Possession?

I was recently watching the news on tv. It was a story about the awful wild fires they are having in California, destroying hundreds of homes.
People were evacuating their homes. What was the most prized possessions they were taking? Their tvs? Their computers? Suitcases of clothing? No. It was their photographs.
Reminded me of when I was on the Oak Grove fire department. When we'd go to a house fire, if there was time to remove items from the home, people would always ask, "Can you grab the photos on from the walls?" They never asked us to go in and bring out a piece of furniture or other material possession. It was always the photos.
Times like this are a bit humbling for me, to realize that the photos we create for people will become such priceless heirlooms. It certainly gives me food for thought, to make sure I always do the best I can for each and every session.

We Make Housecalls!

We really enjoy going on location for family portraits!

Sometimes, packing up the whole family to go to a studio for a professional portrait can be an inconvenience. We can come to your home, or any other favorite location that your family enjoys. Often times you'll find your family more comfortable and relaxed in a familiar setting. Plus, you may appreciate a more personalize portrait setting, instead of a studio setting.

Give us a call if you have questions about scheduling a home portrait session. We do book those at your convenience, including evenings and week ends.

Family coming in for the holidays? It's not too early to reserve you time.

www.plumleephoto.com

Whitley

We recently did a senior session for Whitley. After we finished the studio session, we hit the road for a few "urban" sets. We don't like to shoot the very same poses and sets for everyone, so occasionally it's fun to get out of the studio and find some new locations to photograph. Kelly also did some really cool effects on her photos.
Seniors are one of our favorite things to photograph at Plumlee Photography. Check out our senior web page for more information:
http://www.plumleeseniors.com/

Berryville Football Homecoming 2007

Pictured left to right are the finalist for the 2007 Homecoming Queen: Herminia Ramirez (First Runner-Up), Taylor Bishop (2007 Football Homecoming Queen), and Sarah Parker (Second Runner-Up). Homecoming Queen Candidates.
The other half of the Queen Candidates.
The BHS Choir presented some excellent entertainment.
Members of the BHS band performing.

Friday, October 12, was the annual Berryville Football Homecoming. Taylor Bishop was crowned 2007 Football Homecoming Queen.

To view all the candids from the afternoon and evening events, check out our web site:

http://www.plumleephoto.com/

At the bottom of the page, click on "Sessions"

Password is: bvhomecoming_football

We want to say a big "Thank You" to Berryville Schools for inviting us to be a part of this special event!

Enjoy reading our blog? Leave us a comment!

Which Presidential Candidate Is Closest To Your Ideals?

A friend sent me the link below, it's interesting, not a joke. Has about a dozen questions, you answer them, and it ranks all the current presidential candidates based on how they represent your views and opinions.

http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460

Yes, We Have Payment Plans.

Recently, we had a client pick up a portrait order that had used a payment plan. She made the comment, "I bet a lot of people don't know you do payment plans". I guess we've been doing photography for so many years, we sometimes assume too much. So I thought, "Hummmm, maybe I should post this on our blog".
Our payment plan is simple. Once an order is placed, it is on hold until one-half of the order has been paid. You can pay however much you want, however often you want. Once the order is half paid, we send it to Kelly and she does her magic, and uploads it to our lab. You can continue to make payments, and when it is paid in full, you can pick it up! No part of an order can be picked up until the entire order is paid in full.
Sometimes when we book a wedding, it may be a year away. Sometimes in these situations, a bride will begin making monthly payments, so that by the wedding, her album is paid in full.
Lajunta and I raised 5 kids, so we know that sometimes it does help to have the option of payments.
We will be very happy to discuss any questions you may have about payment plans!

Branson Bridal Fair

Kelly and Larry at their booth.
We were next to a booth, featuring ring pillows and jewelry. These are the creations of Anne Banister, from Shell Knob, MO. We have done several photo sessions for Anne, as she markets her products nation-wide.
We were right across from the catering department from Country Mart. They let us sample some of their cake.
We enjoyed visiting with the "bride and groom" who greeted everyone as they arrived. We got them to ham it up a bit for a photo.
This young lady was in Anne Banister's booth, modeling jewerly and ring pillows. During one of the slow times, we stepped outside and did a few photos for her.

On Saturday, October 6th, we participated in a bridal fair at the Tri Lakes Center in Branson. It was the first year for the event, which had around 50 vendors!

Larry and Kelly both were in attendance, answering questions and showing one of our recent wedding albums.

We now have a very simple pricing system on our weddings. Our packages are based on the size of the wedding. Brides only need to choose whether they want a "CD Only" coverage, or "CD and Album". You get a finished album of your wedding, for the package you book, no having to edit down to a pre-determined number of sizes or spend a bunch of extra money for more photos in your album.

Larry photographs the wedding, and Kelly layouts out an album for the bride. We make a proof for them to approve, or make any changes. The last two albums Kelly has done, both brides called and said, "We love the album exactly the way you have created it. No changes need to be made, we love it just the way it is".

Simplified pricing.

Simplified ordering.

Occasionally someone will ask, "Would you travel to Springfield to do a wedding, or Fayetteville?" Sure! When you have a studio in Oak Grove, you travel everywhere to do weddings! In the past two years, we have done weddings in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Milwaukee. In previous years, we have done weddings in Tulsa, Dallas, Little Rock, and Orlando. So if you are planning a wedding out of the area, check with us. If it works into our schedule, we might make you a good deal.

We know the MOST important element about a wedding is that the bride and groom have fun! If you've not seen some of our recent wedding albums, check them out online:

http://www.plumleephoto.com/wedalb.html

Ben From Berryville

We had a great time creating some nice senior portrait images for Ben from Berryville. We did the studio shots, then decided to go on-location for something different.

We are very versatile in our photography. That's one of the true marks of a professional, being able to adapt to different situations and creating a variety of styles.

Wacky Rumor! FALSE!!!!!

Today I was in town when one of our good clients came up to me and asked, "I want to ask you something. Can we not order photos from you any longer? Have you changed the way you do business?"
Puzzeled, I asked, "What do you mean?"
She said that someone had told her that when you come to Plumlee's for portraits, all they do is sell you a CD and the copyright, and you have to print your own photos. That was so ridiculous, I almost had to laugh! I was very glad she mentioned it to me, as it gave me a chance to set the record straight.
We do not sell the copyright on our portraits. I explained, that nothing had changed. On portrait sessions, we do the sitting, then the client decides if they want to view their images online, or view a proof book. When they are ready to place their order, an appointment is scheduled for them to come into the studio. Lajunta sits down with them and they view their images on our 40"x60" screen. They choose their favorite poses, tell us what sizes and quantities they want, and we process the order. Kelly prepares the order, does all her retouching magic, then she sends the order via the internet to the professional lab we have used for over 25 years and it is printed. The order is shipped back to us, where we inspect it to make sure it is up to our standards. We then notify our client that the order is ready to pick up.
We do offer digital files/copyright on our wedding photography, and some special event coverages (such as the recent Miss Carroll County Pageant). Most progressive wedding photographers today do offer digital files. That's because today's wedding coverages often include several hundred images! They may not all go into an album, but the bride certainly wants a copy of those images. Some brides are into scrapbooking, and want to do their own albums.
But even on weddings, you can still order photos from us, and you have the option of "CD only" or "CD plus album".
Remember, we are in a small town. You can hear all sorts of weird rumors.

Other rumors that we've heard, that are NOT true:

Rumor: "We heard you are moving your studio to Branson".
False: We do get a substancial amout of business from the Branson area, but we have no plans to move our studio. In the early 1990's, we did open a small, branch office in Branson. However, we found most our Branson area clients preferred to drive to Oak Grove for their session, as we had more sets and locations to choose from in Oak Grove. We closed it after 3 years. We do drop off orders at a frame shop (V&K Associates in Hollister) for people to pick up.

Rumor: "Does Walmart print all your photos?"
False: 99% of our photos are printed by a professional lab. OCCASIONALLY we do send a file to Walmart for printing. That happens when we need a rush photo printed. Occasionally, someone will call and ask, "I need a photo this afternoon, can you do it?" We also have them print things like ID photos, products where fast service is more important than high quality. Also, we occasionally need a sample, test print or business card that Walmart will print. If I have a couple of days to finish an order, my pro lab will give me rush service. If I need something in less than 24 hours, the only choice I have is to print it myself or send to Walmart.
So, if you see me in the line at Walmart picking up photos, you can be assured it's a rush job, not your portrait order!

New Senior Stuff

One of our recent senior sessions was with Buster, a senior from Green Forest.

We're always looking for something fun and different to do, so we decided that after we were done with his session at the studio, to see what other locations we could find. We were really happy with these images.