Digital Images, New in 2013! | Neenah Portrait Photographer

Many of my portrait clients have asked about purchasing images in the last few years... and I'm happy to announce that starting now in 2013, purchasing images will be an option! :)

Please understand that my views on professional prints, albums, and other products that I can provide for you have *not* changed... I just want to meet a need I feel many of my clients feel.

I believe in prints. I know first hand how easy it is to let a disc or USB of images sit around for weeks, months, even years, before getting anything printed.

Also, it's so much easier to lose (or break.. ack!) a disc and lose all your memories.

And when all is said and done, you get so much more joy from looking at your prints on your walls because you see them every. single. day.

So, that's why I will have a minimum order requirement before you have the option to purchase these images. I know the next question on your minds, so here are the details:

Children's sessions will need to reach at least a $350. portrait order before being able to purchase any image for $35. Family and senior sessions will need to have a $600. or greater portrait order before being able to purchase any image for $35.

I guarantee you will love them though! Each image will be carefully retouched and completely finished at full-resolution with no watermark. And of course, they will come with a printing release for you. I am even looking into customized Baseman Studios USB drives. How sweet is that?! :)

Please let me know if you have any questions... I am quite excited to be able to offer this even to past clients if you met those requirements.

Happy winter, by the way.. wow, it's cold! :)

Best of 2012 :: Best Animal, Hoodie **CONTEST** | Neenah Appleton Photographer

Even more in our "Best of 2012" series...

(Here's our Best of 2012 Couples and Shoes/Feet, in case you missed them.)

Make sure your vote counts, follow these rules:

1. Comment using the blog comments box with the image number and name (eg. #2. Renee) and tell WHY you're voting for this image. This can be anything from "I love horses!!" to "I accidentally bumped the number 5, so I voted for that one."
2. Any "anonymous" comments won't be counted for votes. Leave your name... and only vote once!
3.  "Like" Baseman Studios on Facebook. I might check, and I might not. But do you really want to be the troll who's cheating?
4. Voting closes 6 days from today (1/14/13) at 11:59pm my time. Which I'm pretty sure is called Central Time.
5. The winner receives a $10 Starbucks gift card OR a $20 print credit to BSP. Your choice. :)


This is the best of the animals...

1. Casi & JJ

2. Renee

3. Trista


And unprecedented in BSP history, we've had record numbers of hoodies pop up in photo sessions. All I can say is they rock them! :)

4. Sam and Jenni

5. Megan

6. Renee (sorry, you can only still vote for her once!)

7. Sophie

Remember, in order to vote:

1. Comment using the blog comments box with the image number and name (eg. #2. Renee) and tell WHY you're voting for this image. This can be anything from "I love horses!!" to "I accidentally bumped the number 5, so I voted for that one."
2. Any "anonymous" comments won't be counted for votes. Leave your name... and only vote once!
3.  "Like" Baseman Studios on Facebook. I might check, and I might not. But do you really want to be the troll who's cheating?
4. Voting closes 6 days from today (1/14/13) at 11:59pm my time. Which I'm pretty sure is called Central Time.
5. The winner receives a $10 Starbucks gift card OR a $20 print credit to BSP. Your choice. :)

Remember, you can vote for yourself, but you can only vote once... so share this post with your friends and family! :)

Best of 2012: Couples | Neenah Portrait and Wedding Photographer

Well, twenty twelve is over. Hard to believe! I don't like to wish away my days... 2012 was a great year in so many ways, and I get all excited when I think of the possibilities for growth of 2013.

I usually like to procrastinate with my year-end bookwork take some time and think back over all the sessions and weddings I photographed over the last year... and what's more fun that compiling some of my favorite images and posting them all at once?!

So, there will be a few contests in which you'll have to vote (and get your friends, families,etc, to vote also!) by commenting on the blog post, but for this first one, let's start off nice and easy with...

The best of 2012: Couples! And note, these are not in any particular order.

Jeff and Jeanne :: married 06.23.12

Barry and Suzanne :: married 08.10.12

Elyse and Kevin :: married 10.05.12

Jared & Nicole :: married 04.28.12

Brennan and Emily :: married 07.31.12

Jenny and Joey :: married 06.09.12

Casi and JJ :: to tie the knot in 2013 :)

Craig and Megan :: married 09.01.12

Frank and Katie :: married 06.09.12

Barry and Suzanne :: married 08.10.12

Ryan and Stefanie :: married 06.16.12

Elyse and Kevin :: married 10.05.12

Brennan and Emily :: married 07.31.12

Hey, that's me and my hubby! :) We celebrated our 5 year anniversary 12.21.12. How cool is that?!
Image credit: Trove Photography

Adam and Melanie :: married 08.11.12

Jenni and Sam... not married or engaged, but aren't they adorable?! :)

Billy and Kristy... hamming it up! :)

Rory and Becky :: engaged

 Hey, there's Joel and I again... how did that happen? ;) This is us being our goofy selves.
Image credit: Trove Photography

Adam and Melanie :: married 08.11.12

Well, folks, that's it for best couples...

Stay tuned for the more interesting ones coming up... contests with "best hoodie of 2012", "best shoes of 2012", "best silly moment of 2012", and plenty more!! There might even be a "best photo of the photographer 2012"... yikes.

Instagram, holidays, and other randoms! | Neenah Wedding Photographer

Hey all!

It's been quite a while (again) since you've heard from me, so let's get caught up a little!

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I'm sure you've all heard the Instagram hype. Selling your photos, not telling you what's happening, etc. Yikes!

If you are all like me, I adore Instagram. I use it all the time! I haven't started one for my business, but if you're into snapshots of my food (come for supper sometime!), my husband, our dog, and other randoms, feel free to check me out here. You may have noticed a few different shots of albums as I've received them from my pro lab. Disclaimer: Yep, it's my personal life, so welcome to super-behind-the-scenes. ;)

Anyway, I was mildly curious as to what was actually going on. Really, anything you put online is free game, and although it's quite frustrating, it's not changing. Despite my lovely post here.

To the point! I found a linked article from Facebook describing a bit more of what's happening, but this is what I summarized:

--The new terms actually limit Instagram from the terms before. Yes, they can use your images, but no longer can modify or change them.

--Among a few other things, they can use the images like Facebook has been using your activity in their Sponsored Posts.

--Speaking of Facebook, apparently Instagram just sold out to them. Now, that one is a bit disappointing to me. Each change Facebook makes leaves me with a bit more sour taste in my mouth.

So, if you want to check the article out yourself, here's the link. I know I will still be using the app just as much. I'm sure there are a few really awesome shots in Instagram's archives among all the #selfies taken in dingy bathrooms, but I'll save that kind of work for my professional bodies, lenses, and editing software. ;)

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In other news, I have been busy behind the scenes. I've been working on albums, holiday cards, etc.

How fun is this? A little sampling of 2012... hard to believe it's almost the end of the year!

I start getting all sappy and emotional when I close out a year... lots of hard work, but so much fun and incredible memories! Keep watch for that post in the future.

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Also, I just came up with a great idea for next year's senior reps (yes, class of 2014, this is YOU!)... that includes an awesome deal for the 2013 graduate. Look for that real, real soon.

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I am continuing to add testimonials to Facebook, and all of those will show up on my website before too long also. If you have survived a photo session or wedding day with me (and lived to tell about it!), please email me a few sentences that I can share with others. I might be willing to compensate you for your time. ;)

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This is enough for now... this time of year gets so busy with families and friends, cooking, cleaning, baking, etc. Be sure to take some time to breathe. And be thankful for what we have and love.


xoxo,
Mariah

Real | Neenah Portrait and Wedding Photographer

Wait.

A blog post? Not sharing any serious news? Not sharing images from a recent engagement session? Not sharing a wedding planning tip?

You mean, a real, honest-to-goodness blog post from my heart to yours?!

You got it... Must be the summer-like temps outside. Or the incredible recent engagement session I photographed. We'll get to that in a day or two. Promise. ;)

Okay, enough build up. From the depths of my heart... here we go.



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I think every photographer goes through a process of finding his or her style. It's necessary to try a few new things, experiment, see what other photographers are doing, and learn from the "fashion-esque" photography that you find all over Pinterest. This is how you develop new skills.

And then I think it's important to remember what the purpose of all of that is... inspiration only.

I follow a lot of photographers. For several different reasons. Beautiful imagery, witty posts, inspiring words, or all-of-the-above. A lot of them are from my college days or contacts through the WPPA (Wisconsin's Professional Photographers' Association). Many times I don't even know the photographer, or I have yet to meet them outside of Facebook.



It is so important to learn new tricks. Keep improving skills. Try out some different things that impress you.

BUT, then remember what you love about your own work. Define your own style. Come back to why clients are drawn to you, why they recommend you to others.

Last week, one of those aforementioned photographers posted something that has stayed with me.

I'm on a mission to create real, honest, timeless, beautiful photography, not something that's lifeless and looks like it's pulled from the [insert title of funky bohemian] catalog. Can I get an amen?

And yes, I gave her a hearty amen.



Because I strive each and every portrait session and wedding that I photograph to capture what's real.

Capture what is honest.

Preserve what is timeless and beautiful.

When I first posted some information about the 2013 Senior Rep Program, one of my lovely Facebook fans commented "I like how clean and real your senior portraits are!"

It melted my heart and was music to my ears. Talk about warm fuzzies.


So, as this photography season hits full swing (which, is right about... now), I will make a promise to you.

Every session. Every wedding. Let's keep it real, okay? Let's keep it honest. Timeless. And yes, quite beautiful.

Playing Catch-up!

It has been ages (ages!!) since I've last posted here on my sweet little blog.

So, here's what I've been up to:

~Yes, I still am working on revamping this very blog into a site connected with my official website. And yes... it's taking me longer than usual. ;)

~ I am this close *holds up fingers* to being completely caught up with my album design. The one I'm currently working on (the last one!!) is almost half done as we speak.

~I had a great time recently at the bridal show produced by Visuelle Productions and held at the Appleton Performing Arts Center. Go visit Visuelle on Facebook.

I'm always known as the "teal-and-green lady." To which I respond, "Sweet! My branding is working!" :)

I was fortunate enough to be next to the White Oak Chapel's booth... and they had that super-cute green bike right next to my booth. It would have been just a bummer if that managed to come home with me... Kidding. I need to find myself a bike though!

If you're looking for a very neat, historic ceremony venue, please check out the White Oak Chapel's website. It is a former church camp that has been renovated by Forest Junction, Wisconsin. We got to tour there last fall in our wedding professionals networking group. Definitely worth your consideration.



My engagement photo guestbooks always are a big hit at bridal shows. There are many, many reasons for having an engagement session, but having an engagement photo guestbook to keep is in the top 5.

One sweet bride-to-be commented, "I'm always looking for something unique... and I've never seen anything like this before! These are awesome!"

Talk about warm fuzzies. :)

I've already had two amazing consultations and can't wait for my remaining ones that I set up at the show. I swear, that's one of my favorite parts of this "job."

On a side note, it has been absolutely gorgeous here in Neenah, Wisconsin... we've been setting new records. 75* in March? Score! The best part is there's no bugs or allergies yet.

Anyway, this is probably enough for now. Let's chat again soon!

3 Tips for Choosing Your Wedding Photographer | Appleton Wedding Photographer

Time for an informational post, courtesy of yours truly. (Does anyone else think they should officially change the spelling to "truely"? I think so.)

As many couples become engaged over Christmas and New Years, this time of year gets dubbed as the wedding planning season. Back when my husband and I were engaged, I joked that if we could just get through wedding planning, we'd have smooth sailing for our marriage. Or was that just picking the items for our gift registry?? Either way. ;)

It can be very overwhelming as you start spending hours browsing Pinterest doing research online, signing up for bridal websites, downloading to-do lists, and buying multiple binders to organize all your ideas.. no? Maybe that was just me. :)

However, I wanted to offer a few tips for just one area that means a lot to me: choosing a wedding photographer. From a photographers' perspective.

#1: Talent and Expertise

The most important thing to consider is the photographer's talent and expertise. Many times this is not shown by having photographed XX number of weddings, but the quality of images from each wedding they have photographed. 

There's this funny thing about weddings... family and friends come together and celebrate on this one day that is centered around you, the bride and groom. It's a once-in-a-lifetime day of joy and happiness. If you should choose a photographer that fails capture this wonderful, yet fleeting day, there's no re-do.

Four out of five times when I let it slip in conversation that I am a wedding photographer, the other person has to tell me about a horrible experience of theirs, one of their friends, even family members. Stories that would be nightmares to me: no-shows on the wedding day, no communication for 6 months after the wedding day, up to re-renting tuxes and hiring another photographer to capture a mock wedding. Ack!

So, whether the photographer has 100 weddings or 10 weddings under his or her belt, make sure you are comfortable with their talent level and expertise for capturing your very special day.

#2: Personality


Hire a photographer that you would consider having as a personal friend. Make sure your personalities mesh.

Honestly, your wedding photographer spends more time with you, the bride and groom, on your wedding day than even your bridal party. I always tell my potential clients in consultations this very fact... and then "if you don't like, don't hire me!" Heh. Maybe that's why some never respond... ;)

Those big group photos with your crazy aunts and uncles that you've been dreading? The right photographer can keep the whole process light and fun, while still keeping control and moving efficiently. Same with the bridal party.

Once again, make sure the photographer you choose is one that you enjoy as a person. If you have a grand time in the consultation, laughing, chatting, etc, good chance that you'll love having him or her around for your entire wedding day.

#3: Investment

Finally, consider the investment required.

It's hard to compare photographers because we are all so different... in our style, our service, our personalities, and the products we offer. It is not necessarily apples to apples.

If you have found a photographer who's images simply "wow" you, you have met him or her and are impressed by their personality and service, then it is time to look at the packages or collections and what you'll be receiving to remember your day.

We all would like to have a wedding photography budget of $20,000, but that is not realistic. Be honest with yourselves... and with your photographer. I find it most helpful if the couple tells me their budgeted number during the consultation. If you need to stay within a certain limit, let us know. We appreciate that, I promise, and there is no shame in telling a vendor that you simply adore their work, but don't have the budget for it.

Many times we might have a few tricks up our sleeves, like gift registry or payment plans that can help manage the investment, so be sure to ask about those.

Happy wedding planning!
~M


Like these images? See Mike & Amanda's original post here.

Have another great tip that helped you or a friend/family member in choosing a photographer? Let me know in the comments below!

Or, click here to head to Baseman Studios on Facebook.

Appleton, Neenah, WI, Senior Portrait Photographer | Print Packaging...

I love putting orders together... there's just something about stickers, textured print boxes, and my teal/green combo that gives me warm fuzzies. :)

I had fun putting this order together this evening and snapped a few shots with my iPhone so you could see it also!

Plus my desk was clean enough to photograph them on.. score for organization! However, that just means that the pile of papers was moved to a basket instead of being directly on the desk. hah!

Appleton, Neenah, WI Wedding Photographer | Vacation

Hey all,

Just another quick note to let you know I'll be out-of-the-office again until next Monday, October 3rd. I should have a little more access to my phone/email, so I won't be quite as un-reachable. ;)

Have a great week and weekend!
~Mariah

Appleton, Neenah, WI, Portrait Photographer | Whew!

Let me first preface this by saying that I understand everyone is busy. I know I'm not the only one that has things to do. :)

However, I got to thinking yesterday about all that's taken place here during this wonderful month of July, and these kind of numbers are unprecedented here at Baseman Studios Photography.

I've been so incredibly fortunate to build this business (for those who are new to Baseman Studios, the business is only officially 1.5 years old) up to this point so fast.

I'm so incredible fortunate to get to know all my clients, and each one has left an impact on who I am today. I firmly believe that photography has enriched my life beyond any other "job" I could have... and it's because of YOU, my amazing clients. So, THANK YOU, for allowing me to photograph your friends, families, children, seniors, and weddings.

I also understand that many studios and photography businesses have numbers that can blow my doors off. That's great... I'm happy we're all doing well! I just got excited when I began to total these things up.

Now, take a look at what an awesome July I had! :) And those of you helping me behind the scenes, you know who you are... it means more to me than I can say!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some more serious computer work to do! :)

Here's to an awesome August! 

Appleton, Neenah, Wisconsin, Photographer | HDR...?

Most of you are probably very familiar with HDR photography. The colors can look gorgeous, there's an infinite amount of detail, and at the extreme end, images can look fake. Well, this is the first time I've tried HDR.

Don't laugh! I was simply shooting around with my little Canon Powershot camera when I was visiting in New York (state) this last weekend. This probably wasn't the best of subjects, as it seems to be drab and dull, color-wise. I wasn't on a tripod, so my images weren't exactly lined up. And there's plenty of other things that annoy me, such as my wide-angle lens on my point-and-shoot.

Oh well. It was fun... I'll have to do more of this in the future!

Appleton, Neenah, Wisconsin, Photographer | A personal assignment

Every once in awhile, I like to just shoot a little for myself. After I finished up with Ryan and Stefanie's engagement session, I saw this old truck.

It was simply begging me to photograph it. And who can refuse an offer like that?

Neenah, WI, Wedding Photographer

Treats for the show.

Lots of treats!

Ready to load up!

Completely set up. I had a lot of comments on my teal and green... :)

Shortly after, I downed the rest of my McCafe, and waited for the doors to open.

It was a great show, despite the weather in the afternoon. I was happy for the chance to chat with as many as I did... also can't wait for the consultations we scheduled that are coming up. :)