Sarah Musselman Photography’s Blog

One of the most rewarding parts of my job is receiving positive feedback from satisfied customers.  I received an email from my previous client this week that was particularly rewarding.

Sarah,

You would not believe how many compliments we have received about the photo…..!!  I knew the airplane shot would work well but you put together a great setting!

…

Take care.

Frank Kaiser

The reason that I had found this email to be so rewarding,was that I was not able to give the client exactly what they asked for and instead had to use creativity to give the client what they were looking for.

Prior to the shoot I was emailed a photo of another executive with a plane and asked to duplicate it.  Under normal circumstances, this would have been fine, but upon arrival I found the planes to be of different sizes.  I always attempt the shots the clients ask for, because I don’t feel it’s appropriate to say “Just trust me it’s not going to work.”  But, it only took one look through the viewfinder to figure out that, though it was okay, this wasn’t going to be the shot they really wanted.

Luckily, I had come prepared with some other shots I wanted to try.  And, in the end we had some pretty good images on our hands.  The issue was that the best images were vastly different from the requested shot.  The photo I had been emailed was a tight head shot with just the nose of the plane in the shot.  The best images that were taken were more “zoomed” out with the majority of the plane within view.

Nevertheless, I made sure to hand them a mixture of shots.  In then end, the client chose the recommended shots.  One satisfied customer, and one satisfied photographer!

Here is the chosen photo:

April 21st, 2009 | Tags: airplane, client, compliments, corporate, customer, Executive, head shot, Headshots, Photo, Photography, Picture, satisfied, testimony | Category: Corporate Photography, Headshots | Leave a comment

I received a call recently for a last minute photo session to produce some executive head shots for Eagle’s Wings Air.  The company was gearing up for some new marketing initiatives and wanted something more iconic of their brand than the typical studio head shot. And, they needed quick turn around.

The challenge came from Eagle’s Wings Air’s unique business model.  They provide travel service for funeral service.  They work with funeral directors to transport the deceased from places like Florida to their hometown for burial.  They provide a unique niche in the market, as they are the only company anywhere that specializes in this service.

The chosen location for the shoot was D.O. McCombs due to the companies’ close affiliation.  Frank, the owner in need of the head shots, wanted to highlight their involvement with the airline industries.  Thus, we had an executive, a plane, and a funeral home.

Since, most of the advertising would be aimed at funeral directors and placed in industry publications, Eagle’s Wings Air wanted to highlight the plane, as that’s what sets them apart.  The challenge was providing the model plane as much prominence as the executive himself.

Here are a few images from the shoot:

April 9th, 2009 | Tags: branding, corporate, Executive, head shot, Headshots, identity, niche market, on-site, Photography, pictures, portrait, Portraits, quick turn around | Category: Corporate Photography, Headshots | Comments (1)

In addition to being a new bride, Suzie is a freelance editor.  With her transition to Fort Wayne, Suzie began working on a new website and wanted to get a head shot to post on her site.  Incidentally, church directory photos were due that weekend as well.  So, we threw in a few “couple shots.”  Why not?!

The weather was still rather cold so we went to a local coffee shop and to the downtown library.  To be honest, I often feel limited when doing indoor shoots, but both locations offered a lot of interesting backgrounds and flare.

Here are a few that I picked out from that shoot…

March 5th, 2009 | Tags: artsy, books, church, church directory, church directory photography, coffee shop, couple, creative, downtown, editor, family, flare, Fort Wayne, indoor, informal, library, online, photo shoot, Photography, photos, pictures, website | Category: Family Photography, Headshots | Comments (1)

I’m excited to announce that I’ve rolled out some new changes for Sarah Musselman Photography.

After much deliberation, I’ve finally decided on a photo lab.  It was important to me to find a lab that offered high quality prints, fast service, ease of use, and low cost.  Many labs offered some of these things at the expense of others, and I finally found one that met all the criteria.

This new lab will greatly lower the time that it takes to receive your portraits.  You may purchase images through pre established packages or a la carte.  You may rest assured that your photos are being printed on the highest quality professional paper at the most recommended lab in the country.

After I have finished editing and touching up your photos, I will upload your photos online where you and other family members may order prints from the convenience of your home.  In my experience, in 2-3 days time your prints will be shipped directly to your doorstep.

With the addition of this new service, I’ve made some pricing changes.  Most people will benefit from these changes.  However, if you had contacted me prior to this post and wish to stick with the old pricing, I will honor that as well.

November 20th, 2008 | Tags: changes, easy-to-use, editing, fast, fast service, high quality, high quality paper, lab, photo development, photo lab, pricing, prints, shipping, speedy, touch ups | Category: Child Photgraphy, Family Photography, Headshots, Senior Photography | Leave a comment

I recently discovered that the contact submission form on my senior photography website was broken.  I’ve since remedied the issue.

If you have tried to contact me through this form before October 27, 2008 and have not heard back from me, please email me at photography@sarahmusselman.com.

My apologies for the inconvenience!

October 27th, 2008 | Tags: broken, form, not respond, problem, sarah musselman photography, submission, submit, web site, webform, website | Category: Child Photgraphy, Family Photography, Headshots, Senior Photography | Comments (1)

After months of deliberation on what direction to go, I’ve finally launched the new Sarah Musselman Photography website!  The design is a much better reflection of my style than the old site.  It also features new flash galleries, that are easily manageable.

You can visit the new site here: http://photography.sarahmusselman.com.

September 30th, 2008 | Tags: artistic, artsy, creative, flash, galleries, graduate, graduation, new, not typical, Photography, Senior, Senior Photography, Senior Pictures, Senior Portraits, website, website design | Category: Check This Out, Child Photgraphy, Corporate Photography, Event Photography, Family Photography, Headshots, Senior Photography, Wedding Photography | Comments (2)