Category Archives: notes

Christmas in July- Part 2!

It’s time for Part 2 of my 2-part Christmas in July little blog series I’ve written. (If you missed Part 1 it’s right HERE!) I’ve had this mini series in my head for a few summers now & it’s been really great getting it out of my heart & into your hands! (And if you know me well you know the past few July’s have been a bit full 😉 so the wait was necessary!)

In Part 2, I’m sharing THE tip to help make your fall photo session/Christmas Card time/Christmas gift giving as smooth as possible.

WHAT IT ALL COMES DOWN TO What is THE tip you might ask? It has two parts! Decide NOW & WHY you want to have a photo session.

If you’re like me you need a strong purpose behind why you do anything that you do. If you walk into October not knowing if you are or are not going to have photos done it just won’t happen. Reality is we are in the last few weeks, really days of the slower summer season & fall & the fullness it brings is right around the corner peeking at us. And the best way to stay ahead of the game & not be super stressed & scrambling is to decide NOW you want to do photos. You’re deciding now because you want to start sending Christmas cards this year & you don’t want to spend December 23 sticking them into envelopes. Decide now so you’re able to save room on the calendar for a session. Decide now & schedule haircuts within a few weeks time of your desired session time. Decide now so you can watch back-to-school sales for shoe sales as little Sally has grown a ton this summer.

Decide now & then decide the WHY. Why do you want updated pictures? Because you want to enter the new year with new family photos on your walls. Because you send Christmas cards every year & really enjoy sending them. Because these photos are printed & used as gifts for Pawpaw & Grammy & Aunt Celia & Uncle Max. Because this year held alot of hard hards & you want to close this year with smiles & the faithfulness of God on your faces. Because you make a mug with updated family pictures on it every year for your husband’s Christmas stocking. Because your eldest is graduating from high school this fall. Because this season of life that you’re in is going too fast & you want something to freeze to remember it 20 years from now.

WRAPPING UP Those are very basic questions to ask yourself but in the long run they will give you reason to walk away a few weeks or months from now with photos you can treasure for a lifetime. No doubt about it my friend!

I purposefully knew I couldn’t give a 10 point step. First of all only a small percentage of you would even read all of that 😉 But mostly because I know even with myself, I want simple & straight forward steps. (Sidenote, I need to still edit our Christmas card list but I plan to do that before August 1 hits!)

Friends, go back & refresh your mind on what the first 3 steps I gave in PART 1 (they’re HERE!). If you follow today’s email tip & the ones from Part 1, you will breathe much easier this Christmas! I’ve had this series in my brain for several years for a reason. I hope they’re helpful & that they truly help bring some peace of mind!!!!!!!

Fall ’25 Mini Sessions Info!

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Price $225 || Package Includes:
– entire family (several poses)
– individual pictures of each child (2 poses)
– mom/dad/significant together (2-3 poses)
– each parent/guardian with all children (1 pose)
– all children together (1-2 poses)
– 20 minutes
These are great for couples, families, even maternity photos! HERE’S the link to last year’s Fall Mini’s!

Click a date to choose & signup for a Fall Mini Session:

OCT 18

Quick Facts:

Location: TBA in the Bloomington/Normal area
Each session is $225.00 (After 6 members of an immediate family, there is a $15.00 cost per additional person.)
You will receive a few images from your session via your email as a preview within a few days of your session.
The full gallery & print release will be delivered via an online gallery where you can download them & print them wherever you choose within three weeks. You can also share this gallery with friends & family to download as well at no extra charge.
As we get closer to the mini session date, you’ll receive an email from me with the location of our mini sessions & other details.
Email me at naomi@naomielizabethphotography.com with any questions you may have!

Back-to-Homeschool ’25 Mini Sessions Info!

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Hi friends! Link to signup for a mini sessions is at the very bottom! Please read the information for a detailed description of each session (there are two types to choose from) so you can make your selection.

If you’re curious about what type of images & poses we’ll do THIS BLOG POST (which is last year’s mini’s!) THIS LINK, THIS LINK, & THIS LAST ONE will take you back through previous years of my Back2Homeschool Mini Sessions!

PRICING & INFO
– Student Minis are $50 per student
– If there are 3 or more students it’s automatically considered a Family Mini which is $145
– If you want to choose a mini session slot for your high school senior, it’s $100 for the 20 minute mini session slot (I also offer senior sessions through-out the year if this date doesn’t work for you so please feel free to ask me about! But they aren’t at this homeschool discount price.)
– After 6 individuals in a session being photographed, there is a $10.00 fee per additional family member.
– 4-6 Images of each student
– With the Family Minis, images of students together & with parents are also included
– For high school seniors, there would be around 15-20 images

We’ll have a blast having your family interact together & capture your family as a whole along with individual pictures of each child in the family!

MAKEUP DAYS I save my Sundays right after a scheduled mini session day to be back up rain days. For hot days, I won’t be rescheduling them unless there is a heat advisory.
PREVIEWS In the past I’ve sent previews from sessions the same evening the session has happened, with our family being full blown into little kid life, previews will be emailed out within 48 hrs after the session.
LOCATION TBA in the Blo/No area! I’ll give location info probably the week of our session!
***LINK TO SIGNUP!!! SIGNUP HERE!*** IF these mini’s they are booked up before you grab a spot PLEASE EMAIL ME!!! Don’t be shy! I may be able to offer another time! I can’t promise anything but I may be able to squeeze in more depending on how life is at the time! Once you reserve a spot you’ll receive an email from me within a few days!

Christmas in July Part 1 – Planning Ahead!

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Have you heard a phrase similar to “Future you is going to thank July you?” I hear it quite often & sometime it’s me telling it to myself 😉

I know that for a lot of my clients once August hits it’s go time until Christmas. I feel it to some degree myself. School starts & everything else & life just fills up. For the past few years I’ve gathered some steps that help me try to make November/December a bit easier for our family. We have two family bdays in December (myself & Elizabeth!) along with all the other things the holidays bring. I love sending Christmas Cards & having updated family photos but it is alot of prep & work. And I’m saying that as a photographer!

I’ve put together a few short steps to help us all plan ahead. To have our future Christmas self thank our summer self 😉 They’re not magical but I do think when followed they will help simplify life in the last 3 months of this year.

So here we go!

Start looking at your calendar
I know it’s scary. I know. But it’s going to be even scarier in August. I recommend looking at it sooner rather then later.

If you’re wanting updated family or couple photos before Christmas you’re looking at August-October as the remaining months that are left to schedule a session (November sessions can happen but that’s cutting it a bit tight Christmas Card wise).

Do you need to schedule your session on a weeknight? I’d recommend booking somewhere August-early September because of the sun going down earlier in October

Block off all the dates that don’t work. Circle what is. Email me & we’ll go from there!

Start watching sales- online sales, garage sales, all the sales
Do I think you need a brand-new wardrobe for your entire family for photos? NO! But sometimes Howie needs a new pair of pants because he grew 3 inches over the summer & Target & that neighborhood garage sale is a fantastic place to grab those new jeans. Oh & shoes. And that cute skirt you like from Kohls that would be paired so well with that sweater you already own & love.

Look over your kids fall clothing options. Use back-to-school sales & shopping to pick a few options out if need be. You don’t have to decide NOW what to wear. Just merely take inventory.

Start going over your Christmas Card list
I have an excel spreadsheet on my computer that I’ve updated year after year from our wedding guest list (13 years July 28!) & it’s lived on as our Christmas Card list. I already know there’s a few addresses that need to be updated & a few families to add to it! Why wait until December 20^th? Do it now!

A New Service!

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For years, pretty much since the beginning of Naomi Elizabeth Photography, when not just clients but anyone local asked my recommendation of where to print their photos, my very quick answer was JMC Photo & Digital! It was a local print shop owned by two sisters. Their parents started the business years ago & the daughters carried it on. They did a wonderful job staying on top of the needs of their clients & offered so many services! It was the easiest answer for me & I loved sending people their way.

I am very, very sad to say that in 2022 one of the sisters passed away. I was able to offer my condolences personally to her surviving sister & was so sad for her. The business closed very shortly.

Over that time many, many of you have asked WHERE should you print your photos?? Yes there is Shutterfly (which I personally am not a fan of & only print my photo books through) & yes there is Walmart (I do use their online option & have it shipped to me – for a better quality print never pickup in store!) & the quick CVS prints & such. But the search for a quality print option that I could recommend has taken time.

I had other photographer friends recommend two online options to me & over the past few years I have printed my own photos with them & been very, very pleased.

Over the past few months questions of WHERE to print have become more frequent & I felt the time had come to help find an answer. In those months Eric helped me look into an option that has always been there. I just hadn’t felt comfortable offering this service BECAUSE JMC was there & I had wanted to support someone local. With their business sadly closing JMC is obviously not an option & I want to help find a trusted place to print your memories.

I use a photo service called Shootproof. It’s the website that if you’re a client of mine you receive your photos from via an online gallery. It’s also the same service I use to send invoices, sign contracts & receive payment.

Shootproof partners with about 5 photo labs from around the United States. Photographers (me) can choose which photo lab THEY prefer & when a client (you) gets their finished gallery from their photographer, they can order prints & products directly from that gallery. The two photo labs I personally have printed from are 2 of the 5 photo labs Shootproof works with!

Starting NOW when you have a session with me & receive your finished gallery, if you choose to you can order prints & products (including Christmas cards!) straight from your gallery! I make a small commission from the items you purchase & a small percentage also goes back to Shootproof the hosting service.

I am really, really, really excited about this! I know not everyone will use this service & it’s quite alright! I just know many of you need this & have asked & I’m so thankful I have an option now! And it’s a GOOD option!

Mpix is the photo lab, should you choose to order thru your photo gallery, that will fulfill your orders for prints, canvases & metal art prints. I have linked those products & prices HERE.

WHCC is the photo lab that will fulfill your orders for Christmas Cards! (The average price per Christmas Card is $1.00. So $25.00 for 25 cards!)

So what happens now? For those clients I got to work with in 2023, you get first dibs! If you were a client of mine in 2023 & want to order a product from Mpix or Christmas Cards from WHCC all you need to do is email me & we’ll get the ball rolling! I’ll upload your photo gallery from your requested session & you can get to ordering!

Questions? THIS BLOG POST has FAQ’s! Or feel free to email me naomi@naomielizabethphotography.com!

Printing Service FAQ’s

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Here are some frequently asked questions regarding printing photos & products! If you don’t see an answer to your question, please feel free to email me at naomi@naomielizabethphotography.com!

FAQ

I’m curious on pricing. I got you! Here’s that info HERE!

There’s a particular size of a photo I’d like to order but I don’t see you offering it in a print or canvas I’d like. I may be able to help you out so just email me!

How would you compare the quality of Mpix? Mpix quality is very, very comparable to the print shop JMC Photo & Digital that used to be in Bloomington-Normal. Mpix reminds me very much of the print quality of JMC.

How would you compare the quality of WHCC? WHCC is more of a fine art print option. I personally feel that Mpix is the best option for the budget of my clients so I’m only recommending WHCC for Card printing such as Christmas Cards.

If I have a question/issue with the print products I ordered can you help me? You can always ask me your question but 99.9% of the time you’ll need to talk directly to Mpix or WHCC customer service. They would be very happy to help!

I want to order Photo Cards/Christmas Cards! Wonderful! When I send your gallery to you it by default is connected to Mpix. So just email me & I will make sure to connect it to WHCC to order Photo Cards/Christmas Cards through!

I see that Mpix offers Christmas Card print options on their website but when I order through my photo gallery only WHCC is an option for Christmas Cards. Yes unfortunately with Shootproof, Mpix doesn’t offer Christmas Cards. That’s why I chose to have use WHCC as they offer Christmas Cards through Shootproof.

You make a commission off of my orders? I do. It is a very small percentage as Shootproof also takes a percentage.

I have other photos (personal or from another photographer) that I’d like to order prints from. Can I order those through you? I am only allowed to upload photos to my clients galleries that I myself have taken to your gallery for you to order.

You did our photos in 2019! I still haven’t ordered any & would LOVE to! Oh that’s terrific! Email me & let me check my photo storage & we’ll see what we can find!

How about our photos from 2016? Can I still order prints from those? Email me & we’ll see!

Once my photo gallery is uploaded & emailed to me when can I start ordering? Right away! There will be a time frame I’ll give you that items need to be ordered by but if you needed extra time I can more then likely give you more time!

Naomi Elizabeth Photography 2023 Print Pricing

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If you have any questions about printing, please check out the FAQ page HERE.

Choosing a location for Mini Sessions

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If you’ve ever wanted a peek into the brain of a photographer & wanted to know how I personally choose where I have my mini sessions at this post will have some interesting content for you 😉

So what do I look for when I’m choosing a spot for a mini session? Here’s a bullet point quick list starting with the most important requirement for me:

I need a spot that will have shade at the beginning part of the mini session day as I’m doing short sessions back to back & want them to look as consistent as possible. This is the struggle of having mini sessions. I’m working with about 4 hours usually with the sun being at all different points in there & I have to try my best to make the sessions look as similar as possible. SHADE is what helps me with that!
For two of the mini sessions I offer during the year, I need a location that will look very similar on two different days as I have a Day 1 & Day 2. (For example I have two days of fall mini sessions.)
I really, really prefer to choose a spot not near a playground. I know that’s kind of an odd requirement & I won’t always be able to do that but as a mom myself, if my kids see a playground as we’re headed to get our family pictures done they are going to WANT to play on that playground instead of do photos! And I don’t want my clients to have that battle at the beginning of our time together.
I really like to have a quiet spot to do photos. Again this won’t always be able to happen but I try really hard to make it happen. I’ve even used several friend’s backyards for sessions as I know this GUARANTEES a quiet & private place!
Again to help my families with younger kiddos & anyone elderly, I try to find a location that has close parking to where we will do the actual photos. Who wants to hike a mile & get all sweaty before photos? Not me!
Close bathrooms. And no half the time I’m not able to check this off my requirement box but every once in awhile I do!
Something that’s important to me for fall mini sessions is to find a spot that will help block wind. It gets SO windy in October & having some blockage really, really helps make fall mini sessions go smoother.
Bloomington-Normal isn’t a metropolis 😉 & I’ve had to use the same locations again & again for mini’s. But I try really hard to use a different area IF I have to use a repeat location. A compliment I was once paid & I’ve always remembered it is someone told me they hardly recognized local spots I used for sessions even though they’d lived in BloNo for years.

Well there you have it! Those are all things I think about as I location scout & think about where to meet with some amazing couples & families. Was that interesting? Did it give you a headache? Haha! Not gonna lie, I’ve gotten a headache or two worrying & looking for the right spot for many sessions! Is there a spot you think I should check out? I’d love to hear what it is!

The very, very first thing I do though for mini sessions & for other sessions is I pray. I pray & talk to the Lord about who I’m photographing, what their needs are & what I’m hoping for their session & for Him to lead me to the right spot. He always does.

BUT a location doesn’t make photos- YOU DO! And that’s what I’m most excited about is photographing YOU & your loved one/s!

New Policies for 2022

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*A recent fun time outside with my four kiddos- the reason I do what I do!*

Hi friends! It’s so wild to me that in about a month (May 2022) Naomi Elizabeth Photography will be 9 years old! WOW! During those 9 years a lot has happened- for you & for me!

My family, my time & I as a person has changed in those 9 years & to accommodate those things, I’ve needed to make a few changes for NEP that I wanted to share. Even just to have it clear some of my brain space! And really I’d probably call this more of a “state of the union” post haha then a policy change post.

TEAM EFFORT Naomi Elizabeth Photography is not just me- NEP is a team of people! You may see my name a lot & see me at sessions but NEP is not a one man show! My husband Eric is a HUGE HUGE part of NEP. He takes care of so many things including the financial side of NEP. He also takes care of our kiddos a large portion of the time I’m gone at sessions or working from home on photography things. Fall is a VERY busy season not just for me as a photographer but for my husband’s job. My mother, sister & in-laws also help on a regular basis watching our kids when Eric can’t. We also have a high school girl who helps out with the kids twice a month. It’s a team effort!

JOY As we’ve grown as a family & made the choice to homeschool our children, we knew that to proceed with photography, that some other things needed to happen to help make our family life plus a small business run a bit smoother. I have a dear, dear friend, Joy Phillips, who has her own photography editing business. In short she helps photographers get their lives back! I send her galleries from my sessions & she helps narrow down the best photos & then mirrors my style & edits them like I would have. This past fall Joy was who edited my photos for me & it was SUCH a blessing that Eric & I knew to continue forward with NEP, hiring Joy fulltime was a must. So as of 2022, Joy is now a vital part of NEP & I’m so thankful for her!

PRICING Those two things I just shared to show why I’ve needed to make some necessary modifications within NEP to make NEP something I can STILL do with young children. Another thing I’ve done is I’ve updated my photography prices. I know I don’t have to even say anything about doing so. Many people are having to up their prices in things because of life but I really felt led to share the WHY of why I did it. You all are like family to me, you’ve helped me grow in so many ways & thank you for that!

I felt it was important to share all this as I don’t want to seem as someone who “does it all”. Because I DON’T! I truly don’t. I also wanted to share this as I know there are many women from all ages & backgrounds who have dreams & want to use their gifts & I feel it’s good to share that it takes work & a team but it’s worth it!

EMAIL COMMUNICATION I will say, I’m a bit slower with my email communication then I used to be. This isn’t really a policy change haha but I wanted to share this here. I will always respond when I need to it just may be a little slower then it has been in the past! Thank you for understanding that!

SCHEDULING As much as I’d love to photograph everyone who ever reaches out to me, I know with my family’s own full schedule aside from my photography schedule & your own schedule this just won’t be able to happen. SO I would highly advise that as soon as you know you’d like to do a photo session of some kind with me, please reach out to me so that we can make it happen!!!

BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHY As of now, I am no longer able to offer birth photography. It was a short but sweet season for me with NEP & maybe someday I can revisit that special world again. I’ve taken it off of my services list but wanted to share that here as well.

HEADSHOTS I’ve been asked many times to do headshot sessions & it’s usually worked out to do them indoors at the place of work for the individual or outside. Recently a need of a friend came up & we used my living room to do her headshots & they turned out beautifully! I now am offering headshots on a regular basis! It was something before that I could do only if it worked out but I am confident with the options I can now offer this on a fulltime basis! So if this is a need of yours feel free to email me!

MINI SESSIONS FOR 2022 For almost all of NEP I have offered Mom & Me Mini’s. The past couple years I haven’t because of covid restrictions & my own pregnancy needs. This year I wanted to make them happen but timewise I wasn’t able to. And to be fully transparent I haven’t booked many of them when I have offered them in the past. So if you could like to see me offer them in the future, please reach out to me! As a mom myself I have realized I desire a family picture MORE then I do photos with me & my kids. It’s work to get ready for pictures am I right? 😉 & if it takes all that work I’d rather have it be with my entire family. Just a personal thought. So anyway, moving forward unless I hear different from you all, I will probably just focus on spring & summer & fall mini sessions. If you think I should change my mind let me know!

SOCIAL MEDIA If you want to stay in touch with me, the very best way is to email me or to be on my enewsletter list (you can sign up HERE!). As my own home & life has gotten fuller, social media has become just another loud voice I don’t need haha! Especially facebook. It’s just a little too loud for me there! I’ve got enough noise around here in my own home 😉 But I do love Instagram you can follow me there . I will try to do better at updating my business facebook page but I can’t make any promises! My enewsletter is going to become the best way to stay updated with me.

EDUCATING MYSELF And maybe I’m the only one who needs to see this written out but I have been taking some online courses to help better myself as a photographer. I took one this past late fall & just purchased one this week. It’s important to me that I’m continuing to become the best photographer I can be for my clients & also for my own memory keeping needs of our family. I’m excited to grow!!!

I truly love photography! I’ve gone through a soul searching journey these past two years, especially in the past 6 months wondering if the Lord wanted me to keep NEP going. He has shown me in special little ways that for now, NEP is here to stay! That’s a whole other blog post for another time BUT I am excited for what 2022 holds!!!

Our Son is HERE+Maternity Leave Info

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OUR SON IS HERE!
I am officially on Maternity Leave!!! Our son Nehemiah Daniel was born June 26! I still have to think about what his birth date was because as of this post he’s technically still not supposed to be here! Nehemiah was born 7 weeks perfectly early as I like to say 🙂 He came home from the NICU in Peoria just over 2 weeks ago now & is doing amazing. THIS LINK has his birth story.

I’m friends with many of you on facebook so you’ve probably seen some of our story as of late. If not, you can always follow me on Instagram HERE as I “journaled” a few of our family updates or CLICK HERE to view my profile. I love sharing Nehemiah’s story & God’s hand in it!

Thank you from my entire family for your prayers & support to us these past two months. It makes me cry thinking about the community we have!

WHEN WILL NEP PHOTO SESSIONS BEGIN?
I will be back to doing photography sessions in September as family life & COVID19 & allows- but that is the plan! In August I will send another enewsletter update that will include how I will handle things with keeping in mind the corona virus. IF you are for sure wanting a session sometime in Sept, Oct & Nov, please email me so I can keep that in mind as I open up my schedule. (I may not respond right away as I’ll be on maternity leave BUT I will see it!)

THIS IS NOW SESSIONS
If because of your family’s situation, you want photos this fall but want to keep close to home, I am opening a few This Is Now sessions. These sessions will be done in either your front or back yard or front porch with practicing social distancing. Please reach out to me if this fits your family best as these openings are very few.

MINI SESSION CHANGES
I will be changing how I do mini sessions this fall for several reasons, but one being I want to spread them out a bit further to align with social distancing recommendations.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL MINI SESSIONS?
Yes! They will be happening late September. I know many people are choosing to homeschool their children this fall so I am excited to meet more families!

FALL MINI SESSIONS?
YESSSSS! These will be in October & I’m SUPER excited to incorporate a change I decided on at the end of last year to do for this fall! Details coming 🙂