Servian Photography

Four Generations Family Shoot!

2012-01-01T16:20:00.004-05:00

Some photography opportunities don't always work out like you think, at least right away. I was hired to shoot a "Mom and Sons Date Night" this summer at a local Chick-Fil-A. I sold a few prints, but nothing to big. Nice experience, and I met lots of terrific folks.

One family in particular liked the shot we took of their family, and wanted to get together during the Thanksgiving holiday to do a studio family shoot. Which is exactly the kind of lead I was hoping to get by working the Mom and Son Date Night.

We had a great studio shoot the day after Thanksgiving. Keep working at the things you love to do and good things will come of it!

Fall Family Shoots

2012-01-01T16:11:00.003-05:00

This fall I had a few families contact me for family portrait sessions to take advantage of the cool weather and the changing fall scenery. I had just
scoped out two new locations near by that I was eager to try out. I'm glad to
report that both shoots went great!

Here are a couple of my favorites from those shoots.

Yes, I shoot soccer games!

2011-08-30T20:53:00.002-04:00

I haven't had a lot of paid sports shoots, so I was very excited to be asked to cover a girls soccer game on a recent Saturday afternoon. While I focused on one player in particular, I ended up getting a lot of great shots of many of the players.

I just love digital; I ended up shooting nearly 900 images!! It was great going through them all to find the gems.

Here's one of my favorites from that day.

Riverbend Riptides 2011

2011-07-25T16:24:00.004-04:00

This was the first year for the Riverbend Riptides swim team. I was happy to have been asked to take the official team and individual portraits. We ended up taking our team picture at the Northwoods swim meet. At least that's the one most folks ended up being in.

The individuals turned out great! Look for the gallery under Community - Riverbend.

50th Wedding Anniversary

2011-06-28T14:52:00.003-04:00

David and Frances recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary
with friends and family at Piper Glen Country Club in Charlotte.

Their daughter Lauren realized this was a great opportunity to hire
a professional photographer, and not have to worry about taking the
pictures.

I got lots of great family pics, as well as fun pics of the dancing
afterwards.

Custom Bike

2011-06-28T14:41:00.004-04:00

I recently received a call from a couple who had built a custom motorcycle
that was to be featured in a local magazine, "Carolina Chrome". Of course
they wanted some awesome shots of their amazing bike for the article.

We got together on a Friday late afternoon and did a shoot at two sites
in north Mecklenburg. I'm very happy to report the client loved the work,
and I'm looking forward to seeing the published article. I'll update this
blog post after it's published.

Nora's Baptism

2011-04-21T10:20:00.001-04:00

I just love the phrase, "Please bring your camera"!

The occasion was Nora's baptism on Palm Sunday. I was originally only planning to get shots during the baptism, but asked if we had time for some outdoor shots as well. I'm glad we did as we got some nice family shots, and this beautiful picture of Nora and her sister Joy Kate.

Nutcracker 2010

2010-12-22T15:23:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, December 18th Main Street Dance Works presented the Nutcracker at Gaston College. This was the first year the studio has done the Nutcracker.
I played the part of Drosselmeyer, and helped backstage.

Perfect opportunity to get the backstage photos that the audience could not get!

The Canon 50mm 1.4 lens does great in these low light situations.

Check out the full gallery!

Graduation Head Shot

2010-12-07T09:46:00.003-05:00

When my friend and neighbor asked me to take a head shot of her for her graduation, I was glad to help. The best shot we got was with the black background, with a spot light (courtesy of my LP120 flash) on the backdrop to add a nice effect. We also took a nice portrait with her husband.

Continued success as you work towards completing your Divinity degree!

Ryan and Jason

2010-11-26T13:49:00.003-05:00

Aili wanted to get some portraits of the boys against the beautiful fall foliage. Didn't even have to leave the neighborhood for this one! We're fortunate to have
so many choices for portraits so close to home.

She took advantage of the "Fast 5 for $25" special offer for these shots. Fast for me, good deal for her!

Julia's First Birthday

2010-11-18T21:25:00.004-05:00

You mean I get to come to the party, and take lots of pictures of your adorable 1 year old daughter? Of course I agreed to attend and capture images from Julia's birthday party. We did a mini-shoot in the grandparents terrific back yard, and of course caught the cake lighting, eating, and... squishing!

Marine Corp Ball 2010

2010-11-18T21:13:00.003-05:00

Marketing pays off. Not right away or as soon as we business owners might
like, but it does pay off. A year ago, I did some complementary shots at
the Riverbend Fall Festival. Months later, a parent of a child I photographed
remembered my work, which led to getting the job to provide portraits at the
USMC Ball.

It was great working with everyone that evening. It was a pleasure and an honor
to work the event; looking forward to next year!

Nora

2010-11-11T16:46:00.003-05:00

When do you need a professional photographer? How about when it's time
to get that special photo of your new daughter in a family heirloom dress!

The dress Nora wore was worn by her mother as a baby, and I think her
grandmother as well. I was honored to be trusted with such a special
portrait.

Megan

2010-11-11T16:43:00.004-05:00

The best compliment a photographer can get is repeat business.
I was excited to have a chance to shoot Megan again. I just
knew she's pop with a black background!

Her brothers are next, coming soon.

MICS Dedication

2010-09-17T15:54:00.003-04:00

On Wednesday Sept 15th, I attended the Mountain Island Charter School dedication service as the official, invited photographer. How cool is that?? Not a paid gig, but hopefully it will offer some additional exposure for my business.

There was a luncheon for the VIP guests, followed by the dedication ceremony held on the fields under a big tent. We learned what our mascot will be (Go Raptors!), and gave thanks to the board members whose efforts the past few years made the school a reality.

Very glad my kids are both attending MICS!

Marine Corp Ball in November

2010-08-16T21:10:00.006-04:00

Back in October at the Riverbend Fall Festival, I setup my camera, lights and backdrop and offered free portraits as a way to raise awareness about my photography studio. I recently got a call as a result of that day's work when I was approached to do portrait photography at the Marine Corp Ball at the Great Wolf Lodge this November.

I wanted to see exactly where the shoot would be, and they wanted to see a few test shots as well to see how it would go. So...we did the test shoot on a stormy Friday night a few weeks back. All turned out well, and I'm booked for the shoot.

Looking forward to seeing all the handsome couples in their best attire!

Here's one of the test shots that was taken that night. No flags draped in the background, and his wife was not there in her gown, but you get the idea!

MSDW Recital

2010-06-04T16:25:00.002-04:00

Wow - time to feel like a "real" photographer. Busy week taking pics during class, followed by another busy week getting galleries ready.. followed by another busy week completing orders! The 11"8' white backdrop worked great. Other than some issues with lights on Thursday (fixed by Friday) all went well.

Very grateful for the chance to be the photog for everyone, and pleased with the results.

Mom and Son Date Night at Chick-Fil-A

2010-05-13T22:34:00.003-04:00

Tonight was the mom and son date night at Mountain Island Chick-Fil-A. I was asked to come by and take some candid photos of the event. Everyone was very accommodating when I asked if they'd like their picture taken. Very enthusiastic group! I had a great time taking the pictures; I hope you all enjoy viewing them!

Mount Holly HS Reunion Class of 1970

2010-03-28T21:29:00.006-04:00

I was invited to take pictures at the Mount Holly High School class of 1970 reunion. It wasn't until I was editing the pictures that I did the math...40 year reunion! How cool!

Ok, so I'm going to this gig, only knowing one person, basically unannounced. Time to turn on the charm and outgoing personality!

I got my inner DJ out when I stepped up to the podium to announce it was time for group pictures.

Setup included my tripod, pocket wizards and one speed light with a silver umbrella to soften the light. Came out good if I do say so. Adjusted for just below the ambient light, then added some flash till it looked right.

The event was held at Little Big Horn in Dallas, NC. Great place for events like this. You can check em' out here:

Anyhow, here's one of my favorites from the event, and it's not even of the members of the class. One of the guys in the kitchen preparing all those steaks.. Yum!

Family shoot with Dupree and Jennifer

2010-02-02T20:48:00.005-05:00

Had a shoot 2 weeks ago with my neighbors Dupree and Jennifer. This wonderful big family just got
a little bigger with the adoption of their new 18 month old daughter. They wanted to get some great family portraits before she got much older. We got this terrific shot of all of the kids that I wanted to share with everyone. Dupree and Jennifer have a private gallery, but agreed to let me share this one with everyone. I just love it!

First Modeling shoot

2010-01-03T21:09:00.005-05:00

Ok, it wasn't exactly a modeling shoot, but I can't come up with a better name for it! Heather
is interested in acting, and wanted to get some professional portraits made for her portfolio.
A bit of a change from the family shoots I've done, but I was ready for the challenge!

Heather was a terrific model, as her father is also a photographer so she's had lots of practice posing.
Still to come are some on location shots either in an urban setting, or a nice park. Maybe both.

Here's the sample for you. I just love black and white, but do visit the gallery. The color pics are great!

There's a new gallery category called "Modeling" where you'll find the rest.

Three Generation Family Shoot

2010-01-03T21:02:00.003-05:00

It was a privilege to be asked to do a family portrait for the Moua family. They brought all three generations to the portrait session. And, they did both casual as well as more formal pics in their traditional Hmong attire.

Highlights below; visit the gallery for all the rest!

Chadwick and Helms Portraits

2009-12-19T14:14:00.004-05:00

Last weekend I had the opportunity to do portrait sessions with two families. The Helms family has recently had a baby, and I was very excited to get to take some baby pictures! Here's one of my fav's from each families gallery.

Huott Family Portraits

2009-11-29T19:48:00.003-05:00

It's been a busy time for me lately, which is good! I had a referral from a customer that led to the portrait session with the Huotts. We worked hard for the shots we got, but I think they came out great!

Family Portraits - Christie

2009-11-29T14:56:00.007-05:00

On the same night as the Taylor-Gates shoot, we also managed to fit in Christie's family. Several wardrobe changes and lots of shots gave us lots of good poses
to choose from.

As always, my fav's are below...

Family Portrait Session - Taylor-Gates

2009-11-19T20:25:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we had a double shoot - 2 families scheduled! One was a friend of the family, but the Taylor-Gates found out about the studio at the Riverbend Fall Festival where we had a free photo booth. We had a busy and productive night.

Here's a pair of my favorites from this shoot.

Holland Family

2009-11-13T16:05:00.003-05:00

I hope I'm excited for family portrait sessions even after I've done this a while. I was certainly looking forward to our shoot with the Holland family. We went with the black background, and I think got some good, classic portraits as a result.

My family portrait session

2009-11-10T20:20:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday we had the pleasure of shooting a portrait session with a family from the neighborhood. It went great, and I'll blog about that next. But first I wanted to blog about MY family shoot. We've been meaning to get our portraits done, but kept putting it off. Saturday was our night.

I think we clean up pretty good, eh?

Halloween and Marketing

2009-11-06T20:44:00.003-05:00

We just love Halloween. And I usually end up taking lots of pictures of my kids. Well, this year I ended up taking lots of pictures of OTHER people's kids at the Fall Festival in my neighborhood.

I setup a black backdrop on the back of the Pacifica, setup two speedlights, and had lots of takers for a free picture download.

The pictures came out great. You can check em' all out in the Community Gallery. Here's my favorite of the bunch.

Portrait photo shoot at Latta Plantation

2009-10-29T20:56:00.006-04:00

When the studio needed painting, the Wilsons were there for us and volunteered to paint if for us. They did a terrific job, and helped us get the new location up and ready for opening day.

To return the favor, I offered them a free family portrait session. We had a lot of fun during the shoot, getting lots of great pictures of their one year old daughter.

Here's a few of the best from the shoot.

Family Portraits

2009-10-19T21:13:00.004-04:00

Saturday evenings on Oct 25th, Nov 7th and 14th from 5-7pm, we'll be taking family portraits with no sitting fee. Call to schedule your 30 minute appointment now at 704-651-3209, or email me at servianphotography@gmail.com.

The prints make great Christmas gifts, or you can order your custom Christmas cards from my website (see the Cards galleries for samples and ordering details).

Here's a pic from my first portrait session.

Summer Recital at Main Street Dance Works

2009-08-26T10:07:00.006-04:00

On Thurdsay Aug 20th, MSDW held their summer recital at the Tuckaseegee Recreation Center. The show started right on time at 6:30. Not only was this a chance for the students to show off what they learned over the summer, but it was also the first time the new competition team performed with their new school.

This summer, students from A Dancers Place joined MSDW, along with their teacher Cathy Balentine. They bring an experienced competition team to MSDW, expanding the kind of instruction students can choose from.

Here are a couple of pics that I especially liked from the show. Please browse the rest of the gallery to find your favorite dancer/tumbler or cheer leader!

McAdenville at Night

2009-08-10T13:44:00.004-04:00

Some shots you go looking for, and some come looking for you. At least that's how this shot felt.

I drove past this bridge in McAdenville, last February with my family, and just loved the way the light from the cars reflected on the curve of the bridge. Two nights later with camera and tripod in hand, I got this shot. I like the way the light of the last car just ends, and lights the road with a fade to black. Several b&w images are available as well in my McAdenville gallery.

..for everything there is a first time...

2009-08-09T20:58:00.004-04:00

Hello fans of Servian Photography. I've created this blog as a place where I can share in my progress of growing Servian Photography, as well as share some favorite recent pictures.

Now, I should have started this blog in January which is when I started the business. So, my first few posts will be a look back this year to get caught up.

New camera, new lights and backgrounds....now to figure out how to use all this stuff! Luckily, family members are always readily available models. This shot of of my son with Bugs is an early keeper.