Apples are not Apples... Why You Should be Asking your Photographer for more than just Digital Files

So we're living in a digital age and our cameras capture digital images that we can print time and time again. With just a few clicks we can send our digital images across the interweb and create all kinds of cool things - huge canvas wall pieces, photobooks, wallet prints for grandma, the sky's the limit - and that rocks!

But as professional photographers we struggle with handing over digital files to our clients, and here's why...

We invest a lot of time and money into colour managing our work, buying professional equipment and educating ourselves so that we can be sure that the final products we create look exactly the same as the images we see and edit on our screens. You might think that's a given, but in reality it's not. We use specialist equipment to regularly calibrate our computer screens to make sure they display colour and brightness correctly, we invest in top spec professional photographic printers and set up specific profiles for them on our computers so that they work together perfectly, and we even adjust our settings depending on the paper we print each image on. 

When you order prints and products from local retailers or online, it is not often that they will have a professional photographic workflow, and so the results will often leave you disappointed. 

We decided to try a little experiment and see just how much difference there would be printing the same image at several different places. We printed this image from one of our recent newborn sessions on our colour-managed printer here at the studio, and then also sent it out to 4 local photo print retailers. We knew there was going to be a difference but when we got the prints back even we were shocked at just how different they were! 

This example shows you a completely unedited photo that we took of two of the prints - one printed by us and the other at one of the local retailers (and just in case you're wondering the other retail prints looked pretty much the same as this example).

When you invest time and money into having your special memories captured by a professional photographer and then only take away the digital files to print yourself, you're leaving the final result completely to chance and will often be disappointed in the prints you get back - you only have to look at this example to see it.

That's why we are passionate about printing all our images for our clients and why we invest so much in colour management to ensure our prints always look exactly as we expect them to. We simply want you to have the most beautiful possible memories to keep forever, and we don't want all the hard work we've put in to creating that for you to be wasted on a inferior quality print x

Silver at the AIPP National Photography Awards!

Following this year's success at the WA State AIPP Professional Photography Awards (check out the details in my blog post about it HERE), I somehow managed to find the time to enter some images into into the national awards, which were judged in Melbourne last weekend. 

I'm very happy to say that I came away with silver awards for these two images that I hold very close to my heart. It's lovely to be among such esteemed company as the very best photographers Australia has to offer and achieve awards at this level. 

Thanks to my gorgeous clients who allow me to get a real insight into who they are so that I can create special images like these.

Jo x

~

If you're interested in photography check out some of the mindblowing work featured at this year's awards here: 

http://www.aippappa.com/appa-2016/2016-aipp-appa-category-winners

And if you're really keen you can even watch the judging here:

http://www.aippappa.com/appa-2016/2016-livestream

Enjoy x

WA Family Photographer of the Year Finalist!

Last month I entered the WA AIPP Professional Photography Awards for the first time ever, at the behest of a good friend. I have always been a proud member of the AIPP (Australian Institute of Professional Photography), because in an industry that doesn't require a licence to practice, I believe it's important to be part of a professional body like this that holds its members accountable and gives consumers the confidence in booking a photographer who they know will be experienced, technically excellent and professional in their business practices as long as they book a pro who is AIPP accredited (to find out more about what it means to be an AIPP Accredited Photographer click here: http://aipp.com.au/about/what-is-an-accredited-professional-photographer).

So the annual AIPP Awards are in essence the pinnacle of Australian Professional Photography. Every year photographers enter images for judging by their peers, creating a great space to develop and grow as creatives. I had never entered before because the awards require a lot of time, which with a busy studio to run and two under 5's in my house is not something I have going spare. But this year I decided to get involved, and I entered the Family Category.

Let me tell you it was such a great experience and I'm so glad I took part. I travelled up to Perth to watch the judging (which is open to the public so if you are interested in photography I would highly recommend going and seeing the hugely inspiring work being created by photographers in this state) and I am very happy to say that I was awarded three Silver Awards and was a Finalist (which puts me in the top three!) for WA Family Photographer of the Year!

You can check out all the winners and their amazing work here:

http://stateawards.aipp.com.au/WA/2016-WA-awards

I'm feeling very inspired after seeing such talented work, and I look forward to thinking outside the box to create some more unique and inspiring work myself in the year to come.

Here are my Award Winning Images for 2016 with the story of each one, which all have a special place in my heart so I'm very glad to see them do well. 

If you'd like to feature in your own award winning image, book your portrait with us and let's see what we can create together. Just give us a call on 08 9791 4226 or e mail studio@thephotographyboutique.com.au to book your session now!

Jo x

About this image: This image features the gorgeous Carli and Shae, who's wedding we photographed last year. When they came to meet with me about their Big Day they asked if we could forego the engagement session we usually include in our wedding pakcages, and do an underwater trash the dress shoot instead, as they have lived their whole lives in and on the water and it would have special meaning for them. So we planned and prepared and I spent an afternoon in scuba gear (with my lovely assistant Bianca) at the end of Busselton jetty and this is what we got, which I was super happy with. Evidently lots of other people liked it too as it went viral and was published around the world! I'm absolutely stoked my fellow professionals also recognise it as an award winning image, and I hope it will be the start of a new journey to always challenge myself and be up for doing something different!

About this image: This has to have been one of my very favourite shoots of all time. All those who know me know I'm a crazy dog lady, and Jasper and Gallifrey are just the most fantastic dogs! We had lots of fun in the studio creating some amazing art, and this shot was actually an out take that I just fell in love with. I mean who ever gets a photo of one dog poking her tongue out at another? ;-)

About this image: Recently a client and friend called and asked if I could take some family photos for them. Her father-in-law was not well and they were expecting Ray to only have a few months left with them. So I fit them in to a busy day of shooting and took lots of photos with the family all together. As I was leaving I noticed how many photos of his family he had in his home, so I asked him to sit in his chair amongst his loved ones and captured this shot. I'm so proud that this has achieved a Silver Award at the State Professional Photography Awards. This Award is to honour Ray who sadly passed away just a week after the shoot, and I'm very happy to have been able to capture these memories for his family before it was too late.

Mother's Day Gift Cards!

How many times over the years has your mum asked you for some beautiful family photos?

We bet you've lost count!

This year don't let her wishes fall on deaf ears. As mums ourselves we know just how important beautiful family memories are, so we have made it especially easy for you to make your mum HAPPY this Mother's Day. 

For this week only, we are offering you a gift card to give mum on mothers day... for just $49!

Her gift card will include a custom studio or outdoor portrait session and matted 5x7" print so that she can choose her favourite image to take home and treasure. 

That's $200 value...for just $49!

To purchase your gift card simply click HERE

(Gift cards are on sale until Saturday 9th May 2015. Valid for couples, maternity, newborn, family and pet portrait sessions for bookings up until 30th September 2015. Our portrait services are available throughout Perth and south west WA)

Welcome to our new Blog!

Well the time has finally arrived, our much beloved business Clare Day Photographic Design has closed its doors after ten years creating beautiful weddings and portraits, and we are now operating as The Photography Boutique, a boutique wedding and portrait photography studio servicing Perth and the south west. 

We have loved every second of our work as Clare Day Photographic Design, and while we will miss the name we know we will not lose the quality and personality that came with it. 

Under our new name we will continue to do what we already do so well, and we will build on our Clare Day foundations to become bigger and better than ever before. 

Passionate about providing quality and a unique, tailored experience for our clients, we have handpicked a team of amazingly talented, super lovely professional photographers who will not only capture beautiful images for you, but also give you a memorable experience and ensure you go home with amazing art that you and your family will treasure for generations. 

Check out our awesome team HERE and get in touch to book your wedding or portrait photography. We just know you will love what we can do for you :-)

Clare & Jo 

Mother's Day Special!

How many of you have a lovely photo of you and your Mum?

This mother's day give your gorgeous mum a gift that is completely unique and created just for you, a professional portrait session.

As a special gift to all the awesome mums out there, for the next two days only...

Purchase a $250 gift voucher for Clare Day Photographic Design... For just $100!

The gift voucher includes a tailored Clare Day Portrait Session (your choice of studio or outdoors) and $100 print credit.

Grab the perfect opportunity to take time out to remember what's really important and create beautiful family memories that you will treasure forever.

*Gift vouchers must be purchased by 5pm, Friday 9th May 2014 and are valid for 3 months for maternity, newborn, family and pet portrait sessions.

To purchase your gift voucher, simply call us on 08 9791 4226 or enquire HERE.

Love Ya Mum this Mother's Day

 It's almost that time of year when we all spend a day thanking our very deserving mums for just being them. Nobody in the world does a more important job than mum, and to thank her for all her hard work we are offering a very special gift.Simply book one of our Portrait Packages  before Mother's Day** (that's Sunday 11th May 2014 for those of you who don't know - put it in your diary now!) and receive a gift print enlargement (of an image of your choice) up to the value of $200. The perfect Mother's Day Gift!

Just get in touch with us at the studio to find out more and book your session today!

For your chance to WIN a Clare Day Portrait Package tune in to RadioWest over the next few weeks too. We're sponsoring their awesome Love Ya Mum campaign, and three lucky people will WIN a gift voucher from us valued at $200! Tune in to Love Ya Mum and enter the Radiowest competition for your chance to win!

**Bookings must be made by Sunday 11th May and are subject to availability. Bookings are valid for maternity, newborn, kids, family portraits or mums pamper packages at your choice of studio, outdoors or at home. Bookings are valid for portrait sessions up to 31st August 2014.

If you would like to receive future special offers like this from us sign up to our monthly newsletter now!

February at the Studio

We don’t think there is such a thing as a quiet month in the world of CDPD. We get asked “So are you busy?’ OH MY GOD ARE WE BUSY!!  (which is great because we LOVE what we do J)Here’s a little look at what we got up to in February at the studio…

February Weddings

We had the privilege of photographing two fabulous weddings this month. A little quieter than past Februarys, but we are grateful for that as March is going to be a dooooooooozy.

Our first was the stunning wedding of Tabitha and Lance down in Pemberton on the 2nd of February. We love Pemberton and Clare would move there in a heartbeat if she was a closet millionaire and didn’t need to be in Margaret River or Busselton every weekend. The green lushness of the forests just makes her heart sing, as they did Tabitha and Lance and their wedding guests. Lance had great fun driving his antique red truck as the wedding car, and it made for pretty awesome wedding photos with the background of trees and ancient train tracks.

On the 8th of February we joined Laura and David at the fabulous Watershed Winery in Margaret River. It was a heartfelt late afternoon ceremony followed by a fun and joyful reception with family and friends in the restaurant. The surrounds of the winery are just beautiful and made the perfect backdrop for the bridal party images.

February Portraits

This month we celebrated three engagements with our fabulous E-Sessions.

Diona and Ryan started a VERY windy session with Clare and Jo at Back Beach before finishing up finding shelter at Maidens Reserve (it’s always great to have a backup plan!) Clare took Sophie and Jesse, along with their adorable puppies, to a special loved up Valentines session on the Australind Foreshore, and Josh and Sarah got up nice and early to hang out in Dalyellup with Clare one Saturday morning!

It’s fabulous to get to know our clients so well leading up to their wedding days, it makes The Big Event even more exciting and enjoyable, our couples (especially the boys) get to find out it’s not as scary as it seems – and we get to make awesome things like Guest Books and Save the Dates!! We created amazing Save the Date cards for Larissa and Byron this month for their wedding in Tassie. Fully custom designed, printed on gorgeous textured art paper. We are currently designing some for Sophie and Jesse too!

But it’s not all just about our couples, we love hanging out with families here at the studio too. We got to hang out with two extended families this month, the Godsell’s and the Bonser families. That special occasion is the perfect reason to drag all those family members back home for a weekend and get all the kids together - all the cousins get to say HI, and Mum finally achieves that special family portrait she has been wanting for years.

Good planning is essential with larger groups, enabling excellent colour combinations and the perfect location to complement nicely. We always have planning sessions without portrait clients and with larger groups it’s even more essential so that everyone co-ordinates nicely to achieve that perfectly designed portrait image.

We also got to spend time with baby Annie and her family for a studio session to complete a set of wall art that mum and dad wanted to create for each of their kids.

 BIG EVENTS!

While Clare was out frolicking at Tabitha and Lance’s wedding Jo stayed closer to home to show face at the annual Lord Forrest Wedding Expo. It was a super busy day that was put together well by the team at the Lord Forrest, and Jo had lots of fun chatting to different people, from couples who had their Big Day all planned out to those just starting out and even some ladies who were so super organized their other halves hadn’t even popped the question yet – they just wanted to be prepared for when the special day came!!!

February Behind the Scenes

Behind the scenes we've been BUSY BUSY BUSY!! After our favourite camera and lens combo went swimming last month, it visited the Canon hospital for a few weeks and is now back in rotation along with our fabulous new equipment, two new cameras, four new lenses, a snazzy new tripod with video head, and various other bits and bobs.

We have met with many new wedding clients and have booked lots of new weddings for the coming year, and met with many of our up and coming wedding couples to plan their Big Day.

We have also been busy bees researching new products and are gearing up to launch some very exciting new wedding albums very soon. Our GORGEOUS new line of albums by New Zealand company Queensberry are benchmark AWESOME in the world of Wedding Albums, and we are looking forward to receiving our first sample album in the coming weeks.

We are introducing a new service this month too…Fusion Wedding Videos!! Our first ones will be shot in March and we are super excited to create some fabulous moving art for our very lucky clients.

Both Clare and Jo celebrated their BIRTHDAYS this month - Jo’s on the 17th and Clare’s on the 18th! More proof that we are really carbon copies of each other (although Clare is actually about 20 years older than Jo... well maybe only 5). We celebrated with a few glasses of bubbles at the Bull and Bush Tavern with our families and friends.

In our own families…. Clare’s hubby John has started his Dip Ed in Maths and Media Education up in Perth, so travels up and back every week to go to ECU in Joondalup, leaving Clare and Sam to be awesome at home. This will be one very busy and full on year for him and Clare, but will mean excellent future prospects for everyone. Sam the Man is 16 months old (OMG), running everywhere, full of beans and a total joy. His current favorite word is MUM (YAY!!!!)

True to form Jo took advantage of her birthday and stretched out celebrations for most of the month, so she’s looking pretty tired but she had a great time and still has a permanent smile on her face J

March is already shaping up to be the busiest one ever, so we look forward to sharing the joy with you all and we’ll let you know what we got up to when it’s all over!

Kiss and Tell Portrait Package

It's February... the birds are singing, the bees are buzzing, and Love is in the air!

This year LOVE YOURSELF with our amazing Makeover Portrait Package. You deserve to be spoilt, so take some time out just for you. Give us a call to book your session today - you'll love yourself for it! (But hurry as there's only one week left until this opportunity is gone forever!)

As wives and mums we all spend our lives putting our partners and children before ourselves, because we are all amazing women. But every now and then we deserve something special for ourselves. It's time you paid attention to YOU for a change. Do something that makes you feel great about yourself, and show yourself that you are BEAUTIFUL, inside AND out!

Feel beautiful and make the romance last all year with our exclusive Valentine's Kiss & Tell package, created just for you.

What's included...

- A relaxed and fun one hour studio or outdoor portrait session just for you (or a couples session for you and your partner)

- A 30 minute consultation to plan and style your perfect session

- Professional Hair & Make up for your photo session

- Drinks and Nibbles

- Your very own Little Black Book including your 10 best edited session images

- $200 credit to spend on your favourite products to show off the very best of You !

$700 Value for only $475!

We are only offering 10 of these amazing packages

so BUY Now via PayPal

or give us a call on 08 9791 422608 9791 4226 or e mail us to book yours today!

And just to show you don't have to have supermodel looks to look amazing, Clare and I had our own mini makeovers (thanks to the lovely Jenna at Belle Couture Hair  & Makeup), and here's the results (and we both felt wonderful too!).......

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January at the Studio

After a two week Christmas break Clare and I got back to work and January started the year with a bang. Our introduction to 2014 at the studio has been a fun and frantic one. Here’s what we got up to last month at the studio…Looking back at the year that was we got in touch with everyone who had their photo taken by us with Santa at CentrePoint in December, and we are very pleased to report that we had a lot of very happy customers. Of course there are always kinks that need to be ironed out and improvements that can be made (especially first time around), so we are very thankful to all of you who took the time to complete our feedback questionnaire and rest assured we have taken all your suggestions on board and will use them to make next year even bigger and better. If you’d still like to have your say you can complete the questionnaire HERE

January Weddings

This January we were privileged to share and capture three gorgeous weddings. Emma & Brian withstood the heat on a very sticky 43 degree day to have a very special ceremony shared with close family at St Marks Park, followed by an “Engagement Party” at Bunbury Turf Club where they surprised their closest friends with the news that they had just got married and the party was in fact their wedding reception. Needless to say there were a few shocked faces when the newlyweds arrived, and after a round of applause and lots of congratulatory hugs I couldn’t help but giggle at the Paparazzi line up of guests taking photos of the blushing bride and groom ;-)

On the 18thPhyllis & Patrick had an intimate garden ceremony and reception at the lovely Abbey Beach Resort, which had been styled beautifully by the talented Wez Enterprises. Phyllis & Patrick had their children watching on as they made their promises to each other, and the complete adoration between the two was plainly there for all to see. It was an emotional day and Patrick almost had me in tears too!

To finish up the month in style, Bobby Jo & John tied the knot on a friend’s property, just outside Pemberton, surrounded by picture perfect rolling hills and vineyards (I wish I had friends like this! ;-)), with a reception at the Town Hall which had been also been amazingly transformed by the talents of Wez Enterprises. Their do was a large Macedonian affair and when we left it looked like it was going to be a good night :)

January Portraits

This January we celebrated three engagements. Helen and Daniel hung out with Clare in a field, Ashley & Connor spent a windy evening on the beach with Clare, and Shevaun & Anthony spent the afternoon in lovely Millbridge parkland with both of us. Congratulations on your engagements guys, we are very much looking forward to spending your Big Days with you soon!

Of course you don’t have to book us for your wedding to have us celebrate your engagement with you, and this January Clare spent a romantic evening on the beach with Larissa and Byron so that they could capture some beautiful images of this special time and create some awesome goodies like Save the Date Cards and a Guest Book for their wedding back home in Tassie. The session went a little too swimmingly though, and Clare’s dedication to her art was demonstrated when she didn’t even notice a huge wave come up and take her out on the beach. All I can say is thank god for back up gear and insurance because our camera and favourite lens got a soaking too!

We’re all about love at our studio, but it doesn’t always have to be couples. As well as our weddings and engagements we had the pleasure of travelling up to Perth to see Debbie & Daniel (whose wedding we shot back in 2011) and photographing their very cute baby boy Devon And excitable Spaniel Charlie.

A very lovable Beagle Benjamin also featured in this month’s family session, and we were very happy to be able to break the news that Courtney and Anthony are expecting a baby! YAY!

Not to leave out some other special pooches, Clare and I both spent our public holiday with the lovely Tremble family. As a crazy dog lady myself I love to see families who class their pets as much of the family as the people, and we had a great time capturing some very special memories for Kate, Paul, Sarah, Jack, Jill & Bailey.

January Behind the Scenes

Behind the scenes Clare and I stayed busy all month meeting several awesome couples to talk weddings, working with our clients to create their beautiful albums, buying some new gear (ouch!), hobnobbing with the coolest folk in Bunbury at a wedding industry networking night, spending a night up in Perth, meeting the winner of our Christmas competition and planning some awesome portraits. Phew! If the rest of the year keeps going at this pace we’ll have to take a whole month off next December!

In the privacy of our own homes Ben, Erin and I have been settling into our new home in Boyanup and are loving being out in the sticks (even though having run out of bottled gas and fuel on separate occasions already I realise that there do need to be some adjustments made!)

Clare, John and Sam have been busy just being awesome.

Thanks to all of you who shared a part of your lives with us this January. We are honoured and blessed to have spent time with every single one of you, and it makes us so happy that we can bring you a lifetime of joy through capturing your special moments. Here’s to a fantastic start to 2014… just watch this space to see what happens next!

Happy New Year!

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed spending time with your loved ones :-)The studio has now reopened after a well earned two week Christmas break, and we are hard at work catching up with all our enquiries and gearing up for a very busy upcoming wedding season.

Thank you so much to everyone who came to see us at Bunbury Centrepoint in December to have their photo taken with Santa. You all helped make it a truly enjoyable venture and we hope you enjoyed the experience as much as we did!

We hope to see you there again next year and we will be sending out a quick feedback survey very soon, so join our mailing list for your chance to have your say and make sure that next year's Santa Photo experience is even bigger and better than ever!

Here at the studio we have made some important New Year resolutions, and top of our list is to dedicate ourselves to making Clare Day Photographic Design the very best it can be, spoiling our clients, and of course spending quality time with our own families.

The studio will now be closed on Mondays, and open for business 9-5 Tuesday to Friday each week. We are also available on weekends by appointment.

Whether you are getting married, celebrating a new milestone, or simply want to take time out to enjoy yourselves, get in touch. We can create some beautiful memories for you that you will treasure forever.

Here's to a fabulous 2014 - we look forward to sharing it with you!

Santa Photos at Bunbury Centrepoint!

Ahhhhh Christmas is coming!!!

Not long to go now and Santa will be arriving at Bunbury CentrePoint to see all the children and find out what they want for Christmas!

The elves are so busy this year that we have decided to get into the Festive Spirit and help Santa out, so from this Sunday (8th December 2013) we will be right outside Target introducing all your beautiful children to the big man himself, and taking fantastic photos in our special Christmas studio. After all, what Christmas is complete without a photo with Santa!

Santa and his team of helpers (that's us!) will be there from Sunday 8th to Tuesday 24th December 10am-1pm and 2pm-4pm every day.

Come and join us on Santa's comfy Christmas couch and help us celebrate the Silly Season. All his little visitors will receive a special treat and with our amazingly friendly and talented team on hand you will be sure to get the best photos in town, printed for you immediately!

What you can get:

a 4x6"print: $10

a 5x7" print: $15

PLUS: Buy a set of 3 prints (any size) and receive a FREE digital image!

Share your photos with family and friends

All prints come in a special festive Christmas folder, just for you.

The Best Photography, the Best Value, the Best Shopping Experience. 

Oh and don't forget to enter our special competition to win a tailored portrait session and 24x30" canvas of your choice too. See you there!

HAVE A PHANTASMAGORICAL CHRISTMAS!!!

Kidsfest Exclusive Portrait Special

[pb_slideshow group="8"]Thank you so much for joining us at this year’s Funtabulous Bunbury Kidsfest. We hope you had a fantastic time and if you came to visit us at our PhotoSpot you will have an awesome image of your special little Superhero or Hollywood Star winging its way to you very soon!

To continue the celebrations we are offering a very exclusive package to all those of you who went along to Kidsfest and helped support the event.

The Package

Book a Clare Day portrait session for $150 and receive:

• A tailored studio or lifestyle portrait session
• A planning session to create uniquely perfect memories
• An 8x10” matted gift print of your choice
• 25 custom Christmas Cards
• A personal viewing session to choose your favourite images
• $100 credit towards towards any further prints or products
• 15% discount at Southern Picture Framers
• A special bonus gift tailored just for you!

Total Package value over $450!

This offer is strictly limited to the first 25 bookings and is subject to availability so get in touch now to book your session!

Choose from family, maternity, newborn, kids or even pet portrait sessions.

All sessions must be held by 30^th November 2013.

Give us a call or come in for a cuppa to start planning your memories today!

New Website Now Online

We are proud to announce the launch of our new website, designed and built by Brandicoot.The new website features a fresh, contemporary design with an easy to navigate menu system.  We're very pleased with our new website and would like to thank the guys at Brandicoot for all their hard work in putting together such an easy to use, yet beautifully designed website for us.

Check out our new studio!

We realise things have been pretty quiet in blog town lately here at Clare Day but it's not because we haven't been hard at work. In fact it's because we have been soooo hard at work that we just haven't had time!

So many exciting things have been happening that it's hard to even know where to start. But let's try starting here......

INTRODUCING OUR FABULOUS NEW BUNBURY STUDIO!!!

Business is going so well and we love our clients so much that we decided you deserve a beautiful space to come and visit when you come to see us.

And we deserve it too ;-)

Our studio is a classy space full of beautiful smiling faces (on the walls and in the office!) where you can come to see our latest and greatest work, catch up with us, and make big beautiful plans to create amazing memories - from weddings and milestones to all the moments in between.

Of course with such a lovely space at our disposal we thought it would be a shameful waste if we didn't make the very most of it, so stay tuned for our next post...when we'll be introducing you to our awesomely talented new studio photographer Jo!

Our new studio is at 3 Zoe Street, Bunbury - next to Harley Davidson (brrrrmmmmmm.....)

We just love visitors so drop in and see us any time :-)