"Good Enough"

If you have a hammer, does that make you a master carpenter?
If you own a set of wrenches, are you an expert mechanic?
If you can read, are you a teacher?
If you can write, are you an author?
Does a thermometer and PDR make you a doctor?
Any professional needs training in addition to their talent to deliver the level of expertise you expect. That is why we routinely attend seminars and conventions, even though we have been photographing for 25 years. We understand that even though we know how to correctly pose and light a subject, it is important to continually educate ourselves on new equipment, techniques, and products.
We start to creat our professional product before we take the first picture. It doesn't end with the click of the shutter either. that is why we don't hand you a cd with your images at the end of your session. Our goal is to deliver finished professional artwork that you will be proud to share with your family and friends.
At Andrews "Good Enough" just isn't.

Brittany

What are you DOING???

We have been answering that question a lot this summer. If you have been by the studio, you have probably noticed what amounts to basically a mess at the back of our corner building. What most people didn't know was that we have been tearing down the back section, starting with the inside. This summer it was time for the roof and walls to go!
We have been told that the back section was actually an old farm building brought in to town, probably 100 years ago. What we found out during the de-construction phase was that it was basically set beside the exsisting building and tied in with the flashing and siding. More importantly, it was not set on a real foundation. Of course, over the period of 100 years four wooden beams are going to rot, the soil will move and erode, creating an unstable contruction, to say the least.
The good news is - it is gone! We are now in the process of filling in the holes, re-siding the back, and figuring out how to finish up the open ground.

Upcoming Studio Events

Everyone wants to know what the specials are this month. So.....

Until August 15 we have the $10 Senior portrait special

Until august 25 we are offering the Back to School portrait special - your child's portraits can be done in the studio or outdoors - you pick! Packages start at $25 and there is NO SITTING FEE!

Coming up next month - September 1 to 18 is our Grandparents Special. Book your appointment with your grandparents during these dates to qualify for our special packages.

October 31 & 31 will be our Fall Portrait Special

November 14 & 15 - NEW Christmas Nativity Scenes! Let's put your baby in the manger - or your angels around the manager. Call or email me with your questions or ideas.

November 20 & 21 - Christmas Scenes Portrait Special

December 6 - Portraits with Santa

December 28 & 29 - JUST ENGAGED! portrait special

Kelsey

Hopefully Kelsey & her mom enjoyed

this session as much as we did!

High School Senior Portraits

To the Class of 2010

Did you know that session fees at Andrews Photography in Decatur start at just $10?

Did you know that portrait packages start at $29?

This offer is good until August 15, 2009.

Stop in our studio at the corner of 2nd & Jefferson Streets in Decatur or email us at AndrewsPhotographyDecatur@gmail.com.

You can call us during studio hours at 260-728-2636. Our office is open Tuesday 12:00 noon to 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10 :00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (closed for lunch from 1-2 p.m. these days), and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Other hours are available by appointment.

The Heartbreaker

This was quite a day at the studio. Ricky was a few weeks old and we wanted to get some pictures of him with his dad. Then we set out to get the family together. Oh yes, what a way to have fun - a newborn, a 2 year old and a 4 year old! This is the makings for what is commonly known as "photographers birth control". Actually everything was going quite well. Brian was setting up the family with Katie, the 2 year old standing behind mom & dad, who were sitting on the floor. For a reason only Kate knew, she decided to leave the group. She walked right over to me and without a word gave me the sweetest kiss! Now who could discipline her for that - and no one had better! She may as well as have taken my heart and put it in her pocket!

Well, I guess after that, we must have been feeling pretty brave, because we put the girls in the ivory lace dresses to photograph them with Ricky. As you can see, he wasn't really happy about it all at that point, but this is just the sweetest portrait!

By the way, Kate is still very, very special. Her eyes just twinkle when she smiles. She makes me wonder just what is going on in that little mind.

Happy Anniversary!

Kyle and Rachel get to spend their anniversary together this year!

Kyle has been deployed to Iraq twice since they got married, so we are thankful he will get to spend the day with Rachel this year. Happy Anniversary and many, many more!

Love you guys!!!!

Tami and Heath

Young farm lad meets farmer's daughter,

Young farm lad decides to marry farmer's daughter,

Farmer's daughter says "Yes!",

Time to plan a wedding,

Engagment pictures! she says,

Engagment pictures? he asks,

"Let's go out to the wheat field,

and you can bring your tractor, honey."

Princess Meghan

Meet

Meghan

"Princess"

Pettibone

Meghan has cancer. Her grandmother had a family portrait scheduled just days after her first chemo. She is such a trooper! Brian was thinking about the next pose he was going to photograph and she was sitting on the posing stool, holding her mask so she wouldn't pick up any nasty germs going around. Just look at those eyes! What a beautiful little girl! We have had a lot of "cancer conversations" because Brian's mom had found out about her cancer at about the same time. But Barb was 70 years older than Meghan. Something about a child with cancer that pulls at your heart a little harder...... When spring rolled around I asked Jen to bring the kids in for bunny pictures if they could. You never know what obstacle cancer will throw in your path, so we crossed our fingers it would work. Luckily Meghan, now Princess Meghan, came in with her brother Zach. She had on one of the most beautiful Easter dresses I have ever seen - along with her crown. She took the crown off for pictures with Zach, but we had to have one with the crown! I am not sure who had a better time - us or the kids. Or maybe Tom and Jen. After all, it was a chance to do something as a family that made you feel normal in the midst of all of the abnormality that over a year of cancer treatment gives you.

Now Princess Meghan is the honorary chairperson for the 2009 Adams County Relay for Life fundraiser to be held this weekend. If you get the chance to go and get even close to Meghan, I am sure you will get to hear her wonderful giggle, because she laughs and giggles a lot! And next year, we look forward to her participating with the wind blowing through her hair and even more giggles and laughter!

The Senior Consultation appointment

I don't know why I didn't think of addressing the consultation appointment before, after all - it's the first step to a great senior session! Brian & I spent some time with a really cute senior this morning (Hi Kelsey!) and her mom. They found it very helpful to do this before scheduling their portrait session. Mom said she could almost see the wheels turning in Brian's head while they were talking. the neat thing is while this time gets our creative wheels a head start - it also gets yours going too. There are sooooooooooo many cool things to do and the more we know about you and you know about us the better it gets. There are so many awesome images Brian has created, but without knowing ahead of time what the senior's interests are we wouldn't have been prepared and neither would they. Like Gavin for instance. We have photographed his three older brothers so we knew the family, plus his dad was Kyle's coach for 3 years. But when he and his mom came for the consultation they came up with some really cool ideas and picked up a few clothing props to go with it. I guarantee it wouldn't have been as cool without the consultation. I hope you'll take the time to call me soon to schedule your consultation appointment. Marilyn

PS. You also save some $ on your session fee when you do this!

Emily

Check out this video from Emily's session! What a beautiful young lady with a wide variety of interests. Emily enjoys sports and was so pretty in her prom dress - who would ever believe she was also a "grease monkey"? Her mom seemed to really enjoy the session also. We both enjoyed working with her and her parents. Marilyn

Senior Specials

Class of 2010 special

Until July 29 only

96 FREE Wallets with any Class of 2010 Senior Portrait order placed by July 29.

The wallets can be ordered from up to 4 poses.

Bellmont High School Billboards

This images was the first student billboard posted across from the entrance to Bellmont High School in Decatur. It was sponsored by Andrews Photography and Grote Chiropratic PC, also from Decatur. To create this image Brian had to ask Decatur City Council for permission to block the street. With the blessing of Kenny Ketzler, Chief of Police, we had 15 minutes to get what we needed. The guys were stoked and people lined the street to watch. It was pretty awesome to see their determined faces and hear the scrape of the metal cleats on the asphalt as they "took the town"! By the way, we were done in 10 minutes, thanks to the wonderful cooperation of these Senior Braves.
The 2007 Senior Braves were: Justin Hall, Zach Colclasure, Mickie Smith, Gus Ranly, Ryan Baker, Chadd Keller, Ben Bultemeier, Johnathon Shifferly, Clint Wurm, Scott Gaskill, TJ Gerig, and
Skyler Curtis.

Craig & Veronica

Happy 1st Anniversary

Craig & Veronica!

Craig & Veronica got married at the Lakeside Rose Garden in Fort Wayne, Indiana on June 14. They met while working at The Galley Restaurant in Decatur. Even though they now reside in Michigan, Craig is still a Purdue fan!

Happy Anniversary Jeff & Melissa!

Happy anniversary to

Jeff and Melissa Richards of Bluffton, Ohio!

We met Melissa when we photographed her as a high school senior. The special pictures were of her and her sister, Morgan, with their Coca Cola props.

The day of the wedding started out great, but the clouds moved in with heavy rains over the little church in rural Pandora. We were hoping for dry skys and dry ground by the time we got to Findlay for the reception. As you can see, it didn't work out that way, but they were willing to work with us. These are some of our favorite pictures from the day.

Senior portraits - all wet!

We have been taking senior portraits by the water, on the water, and yes, even in the water! These sessions do take a little planning, that's why we offer a free consultation appointment for all senior sessions. Do you have any questions? Call us at 260-728-2636 during studio hours of Tuesday 12:00 noon to 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (out to lunch from 1-2:00 p.m.) and Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. In case you are wondering, WE DO photograph outside the regular studio hours oftern.

Another often asked question - can I bring my parent, sibling or friend along for my session? Of course! Most seniors do bring someone along to assist them.

Just getting started!

Well, this is the first post on this blog as the school year draws to an end. The Class of 2010 specials are ready to begin. We have remodeled about 1/3 of the camera room and it is ready to use.

Something that proved invaluable to the class of 2009 was the free pre-sitting consultation. Most seniors brought one or both parents along for this. You may wonder why we do this. It make our job easier in the long run, for one thing. We can pull props out of storage if need be, make sure you are scheduled at the right time of day, and make suggestions of any additional items you may want to bring with you. It all boils down to everyone getting what they want out of your senior portrait session - mom, dad and senior!

Stay tuned for the our next post that will include some of the specials for the class of 2010.

Brian