Sweet Pickle Pictures » Providing family, child, newborn, maternity and studio photography for Manhattan, Kansas and the surrounding areas.

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Happy Friday! I must first apologize for the wait getting the ball rolling on these mini sessions! Spring Break came along and undermined all my productivity for a solid 10 days (moms out there – can you relate?) But I finally have things put together and I’m ready to start booking for this very special event!

Next, let me talk about these minis for a moment. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve offered something of this nature, but over the last year I have found myself (as a mother) desperately wanting some special photos of just me with my son. Perhaps it’s that he’s nearing the end of kindergarten and seeming WAY too grown up these days – but I have this strong desire to capture our sweet and silly relationship as it is right now before this phase too is just a memory. I figure if I have been feeling this way, perhaps some of my clients have too. My goal with these minis is to capture those fleeting moments with your little ones (or big ones!) and give you a Mother’s Day gift that you can look back on for years and years to come. I will of course plan to grab some good “looking and smiling” photos during our 20 minutes together, but I also hope to really capture your love for your child(ren) and theirs for you with some candid, sweet moments. There is no age limit on these sessions, just one simple rule – they are for mom only (sorry, no family shots!) If this is all sounding like something you would love to work on together, please read the flier below and take a look at the time slots I have available beneath that. Because I do want the very best chance at some beautiful lighting for these sessions (you know, if Kansas weather complies!) I will only be offering these in the last few hours of daylight. This means there aren’t many spots available, so please get in touch with me ASAP if you wish to book!

Very Important: In the event that Kansas weather does NOT comply – which we all know is a very real possibility – the make-up date for these minis will be Sunday May 3rd with the same available time slots. Please be certain this date works for you in case of a necessary reschedule! I cannot guarantee availability (especially weekend availability) to reschedule these sessions on an individual basis.

Sweet Pickle Pictures - Minis with Mom

More Details:

Location for these mini sessions will likely be near my home/studio located 20 minutes north of Manhattan. Minis will be held outdoors only and will be rescheduled to our backup date in the event of a rain-out.

Available time slots (I will attempt to keep this updated.) Please note that full payment is due within 24 hours of booking to hold your slot. Slots will be booked on a first come, first serve basis.

5:45pm booked!!

6:25pm booked!!

7pm booked!!

7:40pm booked pending payment!

Please use the contact form in my menu to get in touch with me, including your top two choices for time slots and the number and age of your children.:)Looking forward to hearing from you!

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Happy March, friends! Can you believe it? Only a few short (I hope) weeks left until Spring is officially upon us. I was just telling my husband today that just about this exact time every year I hit a point where I think that the bare trees and brown grass (and snow) are just bound to be permanent. It’s amazing to think of the transformations that are to come. This winter has been a busy one for me with LOTS of studio milestones over the last two months.  I haven’t honestly had time to even consider getting spring fever – until this past weekend.  Thanks to being officially caught up on editing, I’ve had some time to work on updating my galleries and all these beautiful outdoor photos have given me such a craving for getting back to warmer weather.  It’s literally palpable. I’m ready! I’ve alerted Mother Nature…let’s get this show on the road. 😉 (If you know my track record with Mother Nature, I probably just jinxed us! Sorry!)

In addition to rambling on about spring, I also wanted to post today  to talk some about my availability in the upcoming months and some of the events I have planned for the year.  I know it’s a bit hard to think about now, but  I am officially booking family/outdoor sessions for April, May and June dates at this time! I know the fall season can be a pretty tempting time to get photos done, but it’s also a very busy and hectic time for most people (myself included!) If you haven’t considered spring or early summer for a session – you are missing out on some seriously beautiful seasons! To prove my point, enjoy a few photos from last year’s May and June sessions I’ve collected below (excuse the old watermark, I literally grabbed these off my facebook page!) and please continue reading after that since there will be some important information to come!

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Sweet Pickle Pictures - Manhattan Kansas

Sweet Pickle Pictures - Manhattan Kansas

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Sweet Pickle Pictures - Manhattan Kansas

Sweet Pickle Pictures - Manhattan Kansas

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Sweet Pickle Pictures - Manhattan KS

 

Convinced yet? 😉  Well the good news is that I still have availability for spring and early summer sessions!  Take a peek below. I have a few words about my current availability for each upcoming month as well as a bit of info for what I will be booking the rest of the year. Please note – I will not be updating this this post with my availability as the season progresses. If you are interested in a session, please use the contact form in my menu below to get in touch with me about available dates!

March 2015 – I will continue to work in studio for the most part this month, looking forward to a few more milestones and a couple of sweet newborns that are already on the schedule! Kansas weather is just a bit too iffy to plan much outdoors, but I still have one or two weekday afternoon openings for babies or young children in studio at the very end of this month. If time got away from you and you have a milestone coming up, contact me very soon!

April 2015 – I will continue to book some milestones in studio this month and by mid to late month, outdoors should become an option as well for family or milestone sessions. By the very end of the month we might just see some wildflowers blooming! Only a few weekday openings currently remain!

Events: I will be offering some special mini sessions Sunday April 26th for Mother’s Day. These will involve capturing images of mom and her little (or not so little) ones! More information including time slots and pricing will be announced by mid-March via my facebook page. If you know this is something you will want to partake in, send me a message through my contact form and I can make sure to let you know as soon as booking opens.

May 2015 – This month is prime time for outdoor sessions! Early in the month we should be seeing some wildflowers and trees in bloom if all goes well! This month tends to book up fast and as things stand, I only have maybe 4 openings available at this time with only one weekend left open, so now is a great time to book a May session! Keep in mind all outdoor sessions are photographed in the last 1-2 hours of daylight so with the longer days upon us, weekday evenings become a much more viable option as well.

June 2015 – Long, warm summer evenings can make for great outdoor sunset sessions! I am also currently booking sessions for this month with 5-6 session slots remaining with a few of those being weekend slots!

Events:  I will open booking for fall session dates starting this month!!

The rest of the year–

Some important things to note about the second half of the year – I will be taking some time off during July and August as I did last year. These months are pretty unrelenting in the heat department and a good time to throw myself into the last days of summer with my kiddo before we start yet another school year. I will only be booking one or two time-sensitive milestones during this period and will resume full availability by the end of August.

September and October are my busiest months of the year for outdoor/family sessions!  This year I will only be taking on a set number of sessions during this time, so early booking is necessary! Booking will open by mid June for these dates and book on a first come, first serve basis. I am also planning to set aside one date each month for fall mini sessions like I did last year. Dates of course will be determined a little later and announced on my facebook page as well as here on my blog.

November and December are typically hectic months behind the scenes getting all my fall/holiday sessions wrapped up and delivered. For this reason, my plan this year is to only book studio milestone and/or non-family sessions during these months to avoid a last minute crunch. If I have additional time, I may consider a round of studio holiday mini sessions for babies and young children in there somewhere. There jury is still out, but it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while.:)

And that is my 2015 in a nutshell! I am looking forward to seeing some old AND new faces this year and of course I am always so honored to capture your life moments with you. If you are loving the idea of a session between now and the end of June, please contact me and let’s talk details! If you are looking for a newborn session for one of these months, it’s even more vital to get on my calendar as early as possible! Newborn sessions are best photographed in the first 14 days of life and unfortunately I am less able to accommodate newborn sessions with short notice during the busier months.

(PS – Curious about my pricing or what types of sessions I offer? Click the “Investment” button in my menu below!)

Cristen

 

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  • Heather - Beautiful! Spring is the perfect time for a session with you. You capture it so well!ReplyCancel

  • Christina - Beautiful images from last year, I wish I were closer so I could book with you!ReplyCancel

  • Anna - Your work is so so gorgeous, I would love for you to photograph my family. <3ReplyCancel

  • Monique - Cute family shots. The purple irises and the butterfly images were particularly eye catching!ReplyCancel

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First of all, let me just acknowledge the fact that I am a TERRIBLE blogger! Wow! How desperately my poor little site is in need of an update!  I did want to post a message here today though as it’s bound to be a bit wordy (and who really wants that clogging up their facebook timeline, am I right?) So here we are, hanging out in the blogosphere together for a minute. Thanks for clicking over!

So, to jump in with both feet – don’t worry – I’m not announcing any dramatic bad news! However, as my title up there implies, 2015 is going to mean a bit of refocusing for me, both personally and as a business owner. I learned the hard way this year that having a little boy in kindergarten did NOT translate to having oodles of time to carry out twice as many business-related tasks as I had the previous year!  To say it bluntly – I bit off more than I could chew. I figured this was the time for me to take my business to that next level and book more sessions than I’ve been able to take on before. As Dr. Phil would ask – “How’s that working for ya?” Well, Dr. Phil – not so good.  Failures happened, lessons were learned and unfortunately not only did my clients suffer but my family did too. Greatly. There are so many things that are clearer after the fact – like that booking nearly every available evening and weekend might be hard on a little boy who barely sees his Mom all week. Or the fact that no amount of planning ahead can help you when that one week you had slated to catch up on mountains of editing was spent nursing a sick child …and then getting sick…and then getting everyone else around you sick too. And of course  surprise computer malfunctions when you least need or can afford them! It took really stepping back from things over this last week for it to fully dawn on me – I am just not happy with how this is going, and I have a feeling some of you aren’t either. When I started my business nearly four years ago, my goal was to book 2-3 sessions a month, every month. I felt that was a pretty happy little number that would keep me occupied without burying myself in editing.  Now, while that goal has obviously changed in recent years as my costs of doing business (and available time) have increased, I never truly planned on taking on the number of sessions I eventually did. How many is too many? Well, I lost track in there somewhere for sure, but at one point I counted my sessions from August through November and there were over 50. FIFTY. In three months. I hate to say it, but that’s just not me. I am that person that likes to take their time with each client and with each session. I like to be nit-picky while processing my images – watching them come to life and knowing that I’m delivering a product I’m really and truly proud of. I don’t like rushing edits out the door or forgetting to respond to emails and having to remind myself who I’m shooting that day. That’s not at all why I got into this business! Worst of all – I don’t like the stressed out person I became, who I had to subject my nearest and dearest to every single day. Photography became more than a full time job, it became a 24/7 job.  I honestly cannot remember the last time I read a book…or just sat down on the couch without a laptop in my lap trying to multi-task and get something accomplished! Or the saddest yet, how many times my little boy gave up on me because I was glued to a computer and couldn’t play.   This is me laying my heart out on the line to you in saying all this – but I’m human, and I’m admittedly failing at this pace. Something just has to give and with the new year upon us, now is the time to make changes and promise myself,  my family and YOU that I am going to do better. This means taking on less…focusing more on each client experience and each session so that I can deliver an amazing product while still carving out some much needed time for myself and the important people in my life.  At the end of the day, I never want to regret having gone into business for myself. I want it to continue to be a joy to me, and for that to happen, I need to scale back just a bit and give myself a bit more breathing room.

So, if you made it this far (or skipped the last paragraph – ha!) You might be asking what this means for YOU. Well, this isn’t about quitting. It’s about acknowledging that I’m not that photographer who can handle hundreds of sessions a year (at least not right now) and being okay with that. It means giving myself stronger limits and sticking to them.  My session numbers per month will be set and will fill on a first-come-first-serve basis which makes it even MORE vital to get in touch with me to plan your session with at least 3-4 weeks advance notice. Some months may book up much quicker than before and I may not be able to accommodate as many (or any) last-minute bookings. SO,  if you know you have a milestone coming up – let me know as soon as you can and we’ll look at dates! If you are expecting, please be sure to contact me as early into your pregnancy as possible as it’s even more vital to get newborns on my calendar with plenty of time to plan. If you love getting your family portraits done in the fall – plan on contacting me in June or July to book those dates as that is by far the busiest time of year for us family photographers and with limited weekends available this year, they will definitely book quickly. Despite feeling like I may be forever behind on editing, I am absolutely thrilled to be planning sessions already for 2015! I can’t wait to continue to grow my business and my craft and continue serving such amazing clients as I’ve been fortunate to work with over these last few years. A big huge thank you to all my 2014 clients – especially those still patiently waiting on the rest of their images. I’ve said it before, but I will again – you are angels and you’ve put up with a lot of chaos this year while I went through my growing pains. Thanks for sticking with me and I will hopefully see many of you again in the new year!

Here’s to a much calmer and happier 2015 for all of us! Keep smiling!

Cristen

 

 

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  • Tamara - Way to go! I’m proud of you. Happy New Year!ReplyCancel

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I know it’s a bit hard to believe with this toasty weather we’re having but FALL IS NEARLY UPON US! With it, fall will bring crisp, cool evenings, pumpkin EVERYTHING and rich colors added to our Kansas landscapes. For family photographers (like myself) it will also bring a lot of  WORK WORK WORK! Fall is officially the busiest time of year for those who specialize in family portraits. No photographer enjoys turning away clients when their schedule is full, but unfortunately there are only so many days in the season. I have offered a few fall mini sessions every year in an effort to squeeze just a few more families into my schedule and this year I’ve decided that one date is just not enough, so I will be offering two fall mini session dates this year. A date in September as well as October! Both dates will be weekday evenings and will consist of three time slots. Today launches booking for my first date which will be September 22nd. 2014 – yep, the first day of fall! More info below including  pricing and available time slots. Since I only have a few slots available, booking could go quickly. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have an interest!

Fall Family Child Mini Sessions Sweet Pickle Pictures

 

September 22nd Mini Sessions

Mini sessions are $169+ tax which includes a 20 minute session slot for 1-4 individuals as well as 8 fully edited digital images (available via online download once processing is complete) with a release to print up to 8×10 at a printer of your choice. Additional print/canvas orders may be placed through me after the session if desired. Location is TBD, although I’m leaning towards using a spot near my home about 20 miles north of Manhattan (so anticipate additional driving time as a possibility!) Although I’m sure it goes without saying – fall color comes much later in the season, so for these minis we will be looking instead at green, lush locations with pretty lighting if mother nature complies! I will also have some props and things on hand (similar to those pictured above) should you like them used in your session. These sessions can work great with smaller families, siblings or milestones!

Available time slots (I will try to keep these updated:)

UPDATE: All slots have been filled, thank you!! Announcement will be made on my facebook page when booking for the October date begins.

5:25PM

6:05PM

6:45PM

 

HOW TO BOOK:

Please use the “contact me” tab above and submit my contact form with your top two choices for time slots (if only one time slot is a possibility, please let me know that!) I will be booking these on a first-come-first-serve basis, so there is no guarantee that your chosen time slot will be available. Full payment of session total is required via paypal invoice at the time of booking to hold your slot.

IMPORTANT: In the event of rain or other cancellation, the makeup date for these minis will be Monday September 29th (retaining your original time slot.) Please make certain this date works for you as well before booking! This is Kansas and unpredictable weather happens! Our minis last year were rained out and rescheduled to our backup date, so compatibility is very important! In the event of a second cancellation, I will announce a new makeup date or reschedule on an individual basis. I will also likely cry, pout and curse mother nature.

Still interested in a mini session but the September date is not going to work for you? Mark your calendar if this date does – October 13th, 2014 (Columbus Day) will be my second and final date for fall/family minis this year. Watch my facebook page and/or this blog for an announcement when booking for that date has started!

Looking forward to having both new AND familiar faces in front my lens this fall. See you soon!!

Cristen

 

 

 

 

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On the blog today is a sweet session from early Spring! Mom needed some updated photos of her girls and while the weather was PERFECT (if you don’t count the crazy Kansas wind that seem ever-present during the Spring months) the grass and trees were only just beginning to return some color to our surroundings. I was so desperate for spring flowers that I decided to bring my own! An inexpensive grocery store bouquet made a couple sweet little bouquets for these girls to interact with and brought our session the much needed color I’d been craving. Some gorgeous sun peeking out at us also set the stage for some truly lovely portrait of these little girls in their sweet matching dresses! Definitely one of my favorite recent child sessions! Check out the results!

 

Sweet Outdoor Child Session Sweet Pickle PicturesSweet Outdoor Child Session Sweet Pickle PicturesSweet Outdoor Child Sister Session Sweet Pickle PicturesSweet Outdoor Child Sister Session Sweet Pickle PicturesSweet Outdoor Child Session Sweet Pickle PicturesSweet Outdoor Child Session Sweet Pickle PicturesSweet Outdoor Child Sister Session Sweet Pickle PicturesSweet Outdoor Child Session Sweet Pickle PicturesSweet Outdoor Child Sister Session Sweet Pickle Pictures

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  • Jmonique Itter - Such beautiful smiles, full of life. The pink dresses against the soft sun is just yummy! Great job :-)ReplyCancel

  • Cari - These are beautiful !!ReplyCancel

  • Ashley - Oh, they are adorable and the lighting in these is gorgeous!ReplyCancel

  • Anna - Wow these are amazing!! Beautiful girls!!ReplyCancel

  • carla - love those dresses! love this session!ReplyCancel

  • Haley Willingham - Beautiful photos! I love the light!ReplyCancel

  • harshita - gorgeous pictures…oh my god…lil girl has cutest expressions :) lighting is so beautifulReplyCancel

  • Emily Supiot - So sweet! Beautiful girls and beautiful pictures!ReplyCancel

  • JoAnna - These are gorgeous! The light is amazing, and the girls are adorable!ReplyCancel

  • Krystal - Beautiful images!!ReplyCancel

  • Tiffany - Love these photos! You captured their sweet spirits so well <3ReplyCancel