KoKo-licious!!

No time to talk, I'm so busy I shouldn't even be blogging this. Should be back to normal in a few weeks.

KoKo Handbag that just came in...simply stunning!!! Almost makes me want to start carrying a purse, well, maybe not (since I'm a guy).



Quick News: ground breaking on the new Jenison studio begins Thursday Nov 12!

Gotta get back to work.

Rock On,
mb

It's Not Too Late...

We actually have a few senior session openings coming up so give us a call if you haven't done so yet!



Rock On,
mb

TuTu Cute...

...for words. You just have to see the story board for this session!! More Soon!!



Rock On,
mb

CLICKphotographic.com
"CLICKphotographic.com - Capturing Timeless Memories One CLICK at a Time"

Kids Update & More...

...on the way!



I'm still trying to get caught up on posting some fresh kids stuff. Here's just one from a session a few weeks ago.

I know, don't remind me, I have oodles of kids sessions that should be posted before this one but I'm adding those to the fresh new kids section of the website (if I post too much new stuff to the blog it gives the other photogs something to copy, I'd rather make them wait or think of something on their own).

Which reminds me...I just posted some quick comp senior sports examples July 28, 2008 and what do you know, Aug 10 some guy in Belmont "TRIES" to copy the shot! The Nerve! Crusty, no Rusty, no Musty something old was his name. He didn't even come close (didn't understand why I shot it the way I did, that's what happens when you copy, it looks kind of like the original but it just don't work). I'm both honored and flattered! Here's a great idea for your next wedding - shoot the bride solo and make it black & white but just the flowers of the bouquet are in color!!! (it's soooo fresh). Enough ranting, I'm really flattered other shooters check out my blog and like my work so much (uhum, dan:).

So what else is new?
New J-town studio is coming along (slowly but surely). Still waiting on the architect.

Gearing up for the classes we're offering to Professional and Amateur photographers once the studio is finished. Don't go spending that hard earned cash on filters, actions, generic holiday card templates, announcements or boarders! Be Original, Be Fresh! We'll teach you how and why, literally saving you hundreds or even thousands!! We're just waiting on our facilities to offer these classes and more (if you can't wait we can sell you variety packs of digital photo candy. call or email for the full scoop). Everything from A to Z will be offered.

I think that's it for now.

Rock On,
mb

CLICKphotographic.com
"CLICK photographic, fresh inspiration"

Jenison Senior...

...and not enough time to get all wordy. I'll let the images do the talking.

(clicking on any of the images on the blog opens a larger version)



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I can't help but comment on what I saw again at the beach shooting tonight. One of the local studios (starts with an H, in Grandville) with 6 seniors lined up for pictures. "now serving senior #4, sit on that rock just like #3 did, #5 watch closely, you're next". I always wonder, do they keep the number dispenser at their studio or do they bring it on location :)

Rock On,
mb

CLICKseniors.com

"CLICKseniors.com - Something Different. Something Fresh. Something New."

Cute Kids...

...and a great park session. These kids are a dream to photograph. The parents drove from Detroit just for the session (and we did family portraits also).



Gotta go, much work to get caught up on.

Rock On,
mb

www.clickphotographic.com

"CLICK photographic, Our Images Only Look Expensive"

Too Busy to Blog...

...so I gotta keep it simple. It's been insane! I have around 26 or so senior sessions to pull images from but I just don't have the time right now. I just couldn't resist posting these beach pics though. I'll try to find time to post more samples in the upcoming weeks. I have some really sweet puddle images, some downtown GR images, some in the woods images and a ton of studio images (and that's just senior sessions, I've been way behind on kids images, soon, I promise).

There are still a few open slots for senior sessions. Call SOON!

We thought about doing a follow up senior postcard mailer in August to remind people to call. We've been so busy shooting and booking senior sessions we didn't even need to. Gotta love that!!!



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That's it for now.

Rock On,
mb

CLICKseniors.com

"CLICKseniors.com - Something Different. Something Fresh. Something New."

oh yeah, I'm thinking the twitter thing seems to be a big waste of time. I'm too busy working to give hourly updates on what I'm doing. Plus I've noticed people seem to just make up stuff to sound really busy or important. Who really needs updates on how many two liters of diet Mt Dew I drink in a day. We'll just say it's a lot and leave it at that.

J-town Senior...

Just a couple from Friday's session. I've got a few hundred awesome images to pick from and post later. Here are two that I was just diggin' cause they're different...



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Just a couple quick comps to show some sports composites.

Still haven't got the senior composites up on the website yet so here's a link to the old sites section:

http://www.clickphotographic.com/seniors/composites/compstart.html

I did manage to update the click rewards though!



http://www.clickseniors.com/seniors2009/2009clickrewards.html


Rock On,
mb

Rockin' Lowell Senior, Literally...

...and the session was a blast! He was playing some stuff unplugged while I was lighting and it sounded great, I wish he would have brought along his amp.

Here's just a couple quick pics:



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Rock On Justin, Rock On!
mb

Oh That's Right, I have a Blog...

...better post something.

Busy, yup, more like CRAZY BUSY!!!!

Every time the phone rings it's the same comment: "every other studio's pictures look the same, CLICK is different, it looks like you really capture people's personalities" and I never get sick of hearing it because that's why I do what I do.

I'd love to be like the other studios, it would be a lot easier. Same old same old, pose girls just like the guys, one pose fits all. Showing ALL seniors on the same old tile floor stucco wall as if the camera is permanently mounted there, same picture only the people change year after year after year. But that's not how we do it. How many times are you a senior? Are you just like everyone else? We don't think so! I love the challenge of capturing real personality.

Be Different, Be You!

We still have some openings in Aug and a fair amount left in Sept so Don't Worry just yet (but you should at least call and check availability before we book up solid).

New News:

Just signed up with twitter (http://twitter.com/clickseniors). Sister in-law said I should. I heard about it last year on G4 tv but figured it was just another distraction. First thoughts- I have better things to spend my time on (aka blog). But figured I'd check it out, it did sound kind of simple and fun. Signed up, tried to set it up...second thoughts, too many tweets, server overloaded, why did I sign up? I'm giving it a month to see if I likey, so far not so much.

Other News:

Yes, that was Tim Kasberger in the parade with us on the 4th of July (thanks for the inquiries). Tim and I go way back... (back to when we were 14 year old hooligans). I created the TK logo, website and marketing materials for TK foto, that's part of the reason why I waited until he retired to push my portrait photography, I felt it was a conflict of interest. I also created the Color Inc logo btw.

Other Other News:

If your sending session deposits you can send them to our 896 home office or the 7813 Cottonwood Dr, Jenison, MI 49428 studio address (which is still under construction, don't get me started...). We Do Not have a mailbox at our 1111 Godfrey Studio so don't send anything there, use either one of the Jenison ones.

Here's some pics from recent uploaded orders and some random sessions lately (not playin favorites)



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Lowell Senior:


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There are another 300 images from this session that are as good or better than these, incredible session! If I have time I'll post some more.

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My crabby little baby! I'm seriously ordering a 20x30 of this one! Ever since she turned 1 I can't get a good shot of her.

That's it for now.

Rock On,
mb

Ah Ah Ah Ah Still Alive, Still Alive...

...Yep, I'm still alive, just been too busy to post anything new.

I'm starting to think that updating the website might be a bad thing! If I'm this busy with images that are 1 or 2 years old on the site, it's gonna be insanely busy with the fresh stuff!

Quick Notes:

Grandville 4th of July parade was a riot!!!!! A bit stressful though!

We had over 12,000 pieces of skittles, tootsies, laffy taffys, nerds and other assorted goodies but we came up about two blocks short (I always feel bad for the people at the end of the parade route, they always get left out) next year I'm saving a few bags of goodies just for the end! Although, having over 30 people throwing treats will do that. Luckily "Jim D" was at his summer home or our number of candy tossers would have been even higher (with his entourage and all)!!!


For the 2009 seniors that were not at the parade and missed our nice freebie, Chillax...we're still gonna hook you up! Let us know you read the blog and give us the promo code "IMJ4P" and we'll still get you your free 16 wallets and an additional pose! That's just how we do.

I know I'm going to regret that one! Our 2008 June & July so far is busier than last years Aug & Sept!


Side Note

We're getting a lot of calls where people are thinking were booked solid in August and September! We're NOT booked solid yet! We booked up in May and June because of the mega deals (note to self: not so much next year) but we still have open session time slots in Aug, Sept & Oct.

We keep at least 2 days a week open for children and family sessions. When the other days get booked up with senior sessions we open up those 2 reserved days. It's our buffer zone.

So yes, we probably have an open time slot for you!

Rock On,
mb
www.clickseniors.com
"all the images on the walls of our studio are ones we shot!"

Yeah, I Really Need to Update...

...the website!

These are some images from a session yesterday, what a little cutie patootie!!

These are her 3 year pictures which got me thinking. I took her 2 year pictures about a year ago and still haven't posted any examples on the website yet...I REALLY need to update the website!!!!!

Here are some pics from yesterdays session (and I promise to make work of updating the website soon):



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She's like a little super model in training! I just pretty much let her do her thing and captured images along the way. Like this last picture, she picked the flower (well, it was actually a weed flower, clover I think) all on her own with absolutely no direction from her mother or myself. Kids, what a riot!

Rock On,
mb

www.clickphotographic.com
"CLICK photographic, Our images Only Look Expensive"

Not Playin' Favorites,..

...just had to post this one quick.

I always feel guilty when I post an image from one of the latest sessions but haven't posted any from the previous sessions earlier that day or a day or two before. It all depends on how busy I was after the session. Really, I'm not playing favorites!

After shooting 3 or 4 sessions in a row and getting home at 7pm, I'm scramblin' to get the images online for previewing. I love it when I have a clear afternoon and time to get home, post the images and then play around with a few of my faves.

Here's one I'm really diggin' and had the time to tweak a little:



Hope to have time to post more from this session and some of our previous sessions Friday. I also need to update the website soon, hopefully I'll see a bit of a slow time the week after the 4th of July but it's not looking too likely.

Side Notes:
1. If you're looking to book your senior session in August or September give us a call soon. I know a lot of you are waiting on that tan... We typically get hammered with calls mid to late July and all the premium times go fast! Compared to last year, we've had more senior sessions in June of '08 than August of '07 so It's gonna be busy!!

2. Want your name on your wallets? Yep, we do that! What's it gonna cost? $0.00! That's right, nada. If you have any special requests just let us know. Just like our blemish retouching and image enhancements, FREE!

3. This one needs to be on our FAQs section of the website but I haven't had the time. I hear this at least 4 times a week, "Who will be taking the pictures?" That would be me, Michael, the only shooter at CLICK!

I've had way too many clients tell me horror stories of going to other studios assuming the name on the door was the person who would be shooting the pictures. What they got was an "assistant or staff or associate photographer" and the images were sub-standard. That won't fly at CLICK. Every image on the website was shot by me and that's who you get for your session! I'm a bit of a perfectionist and won't hand off the camera just because it's more profitable.

Rock On,
mb

www.clickseniors.com
"we don't pay for endorsements, we earn them"

Time Again For Beach Portraits...

...call us to schedule your family beach session, it'll be fall before you know it!



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Rock On,
mb

BTW, We Can Do That...

...had a few minutes to work with an image this afternoon and just couldn't decide what I liked best.

We keep hearing that we're known for great images straight out of the camera (which I love to hear since that's my goal with every session), but we also like to give our images a little extra zing when we think it benefits the shot.

If you have some ideas for your session that might include sepia, cross-process, selective color, black & white, mega saturation, film grain, distressed look...whatever it may be, let us know! We don't charge extra to tweak your image to make it the way you want it! We'll also make suggestions for images we think would look good with a little extra bling.

This particular image was beggin' for a little CLICK juicification (definition: to make an image even more juicy). It was a great shot to start with but I thought it could use something more. The first was just a little extra contrast, the other two were tweaked a little more.

So they are up for a vote and feedback!!!

Which is your favorite? Do you prefer straight up clean images or modified ones? Let us know!



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So the polls are open, give us your feedback!

Rock On,
mb

I Have the Best Job...

...in the world!!!

One of my favorite things about being a photog is meeting new people and hearing their stories.

I have a tendency to get a little chatty (get me started and I can talk for hours!) but I just love learning about new people and everything that makes them who they are.

Tonight I had the pleasure of meeting Erica and it was great!

Here's my favorite pic from the session, Erica & Maurice (I always have to ask if they have a name for their instrument):



What a riot!

Side Notes:
Keep an eye out for us at the Grandville 4th of July Parade. If you're a 2009 Senior - yell at us to get your freebie (it's a good one, worth about $75).

Also, we're still working on getting the products we offer posted on the website. If you have any special requests or ideas for unique products drop us an email. We offer Folios, Coffee Table Books, Composites, Story Boards and more. We can even get you key chains and coffee mugs if you really want them. We wanna know what you're looking for!

Rock On,
mb

Gotta Keep it Short...

...too busy to post lately, which is a good thing I guess! Here are a couple pics from a session last night. We got a couple hundred rockin' images! Seriously! I get so excited and caught up in capturing images that I tend to shoot way too many. I always feel bad though when I hear comments from the mom like "we have it narrowed down to 80 pictures", "there's just too many great ones to choose from!". I think that's a good problem to have:)



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Hope to post a little more frequently soon.

Rock On,
mb

You Never Know Who You Might Meet...

I don't know how many of you are familiar with "Jim D" aka "Pickins" but I got to meet him and had lunch with him last week!!!

I had first heard of him and almost met him spring break of 2000 in Cancun.

I had a photo shoot for LaBoom (a dance club in Cancun) spring of 2000 and I figured with MTV being there he'd have to make an appearance and that would be my chance.

As it turned out the night I was at LaBoom "Jim D" decided to stay in for the night, probably to get away from all the fans and photographers!

While I may not have had a chance to meet him that night I did get to see Dr. Dre, Eminem and Snoop Dogg up close thanks to my VIP credentials. The funny part was I didn't even bring a camera that night since I'd been shooting the night before and quite frankly just wanted to enjoy the free cocktails that night and relax. Oh well, it was still a riot. I felt like a celeb when they lifted the red velvet ropes to let me into the club in front of the more than 3000 spring breakers waiting in line to get inside.

Here's a link to one of the QuickTime VRs I shot for them (back in the old film days:)

http://www.mbdesigns.com/movies/LaBoom.mov

It was a true pleasure to meet "Jim D" last week, he's a real down to earth kind of guy, I really likes his styles...

Rock On,
mb

Rockin' Senior Session...

...yesterday. A studio ultimate session and we got a ton of incredible images. Here's just a few of my ballet favorites...




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Our 2009 Senior season is in full swing and we're booking sessions everyday.

We shoot from 8am to 9pm (and sometimes even later if need be) but if last year was any indication we'll be booked solid again by late July. So call and schedule your sessions today. All we require is the session fee to hold the date, no huge "deposit".

Call and schedule today!

Rock On,
mb

Congratulations Mani...

...I'd heard it on the streets a while back but dismissed it as rumors but it was true, Mani retired from the photography business!

I'm actually bummed out about it. After hanging out with him last year at WPPI in Vegas I discovered that Mani is about the nicest guy you'll ever meet, add to that the fact that he's a portrait photographer with integrity (which believe it or not is a rarity these days) and that adds up to someone who'll be missed in the photo biz. Plus I think he's too young to be getting out!

We just wanted to congratulate him and wish him the best of luck in the future! At least I'll still be able to see him at Color Inc. and maybe WPPI next year.

Rock On Mani!
mb

Family Urban Sessions...

...are just $49. If you're looking for something different than a traditional portrait, the urban family session is just right for you!



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We've got a ton of new family pics to post on the website, hopefully in the next week or so.

Rock On,
mb

A Great Baby Gift...

...sewhappybaby.com custom embroidered burp cloths and minky blankets! If you're local I recommend that and a CLICK gift certificate! If you're out of the area Sew Happy Baby ships nationwide and also drop ships complete with gift wrapping, handmade card and handwritten message!




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check their site out at: http://www.sewhappybaby.com

I just had to plug their site and services, I think they're awesome and ridiculously inexpensive!!!

Rock On,
mb

Forgot About This Little Cutie...

...and remembered again last week while putting the order together. Isn't she just sooo cute.



I'll be working on updating the newborn, childrens and family sections of the website soon (since it's been about a year and a half since the last update!). We've been so busy lately that the website has been neglected. Oh yeah, the wedding website will launch soon as well.

Other notes: If you ordered a CLICKseniors T-shirt or mentioned you'd be interested they are coming! We have the beta version (prototype v.b.001) and we'll post some pics soon. I was pretty close on pricing, around $25.

Senior brochures will be hitting the streets in a few weeks and we'll be announcing some promos for 2009 seniors, stay tuned.

J-town studio is coming along, or should I call it "Dandelion Farms". I just dropped 20,000 square feet of weed control on the lawn and it didn't even cover half? I've never seen so many dandelions, seriously. Still working on the demolition/construction. I'll post some pics when it's not such an eye sore.

That's it for now.

Rock On,
mb

And Here They Are...

Congratulations Amy & Kyle!!!

These two were a complete riot to spend the day with!

Here are just a few samples. The first four are untouched straight out of the camera (except for making them smaller for web viewing that is). The rest were enhanced (some more than others).



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That's it for now.

Rock On,
mb