While I’ve had the information posted over at Sit.Stay.Snap. for a few weeks and have had clients booking since late December, I’m just getting around to posting about the spring round of pet mini sessions over here at CMP. Right now only one more morning appointment time is left, once it fills, two afternoon appointment times will become available for booking. Visit sitstaysnap.com for full details and to set up a session appointment!

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We’d be extremely grateful if everyone that reads this would please go vote ASAP … one vote per email address! All you have to set up an account and click the link in the welcome email to verify your email adddress for the vote to count!

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That’s where I come in … having self hosted and manipulated several different website-related software programs/templates in the course of having my own website & blog (both personal and business as well as for a few friends)  since 2001, I’m now offering those setup/customization services to the general public.

So … need help setting up WordPress with a basic template (TwentyEleven or the free Tofurious design)? WordPress and the ProPhoto template? Photocart? Machforms? You provide the zip files & access codes + your logo, background image, masthead images, and text for page content & I’ll spare you the trial, agony, and frustration of figuring it all out on your own!

Here’s just a quick peek at where I transformed a template purchased via the ProPhoto design shop (using additional elements I purchased previously) into a design that fit my vision …

Before — the default template I purchased (now sold out – screenshot from the prophoto website):

After I changed the background image, template colors for text, urls, and elements, changed the profile image to a vertical image & on the right, added the sliding tabs, added my own images to the masthead, and added my updated logo:

For more details and pricing, click here …

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*raises hand*

Well … for starters it means after months and months of hard work, I get to debut the new Christina McCall Photography branding … those in google reader, click here to see what I’m talking about

Here’s the old CMP …

… and here’s the new CMP … new logo, new colors, new bio photo, new website look, new splash page, and on hiatus from human portraiture photography! About the only thing that’s somewhat the same is that I couldn’t bear to part with the woodgrain look on the website!

Over @ Sit.Stay.Snap., the new branding debuted a little early (as in a couple weeks ago) but I never got around to announcing it … so here’s a peek. Click here to see it all for yourself …

[ contact Christina | CMP on Facebook | | Sit.Stay.Snap. on Facebook | read Christina's tweets | subscribe to the blog ]

With the end of 2011, my annual wrap-up and a quick look back at this year’s weekly images posted each Monday:

Biz wise, I began cutting back on the session options/types I shot earlier this year so I could focus on other areas of photography that I wanted to pursue/improve. I also attended Imaging USA last January when PPA held their annual conference in San Antonio; I learned a lot and discovered some new products while at the expo. The weather this year impacted a lot of what I was able to shoot landscape, wildlife, and plant-wise, so I’m enjoying the rainy season we’re having now that’s allowing me to photograph something green again — even if it is winter! With year’s end, I made an announcement on Christmas Eve that alters the course of what CMP will be focused on for the foreseeable future.

Personally, its been a year of ups and downs — travel plans altered several times, lost one beloved canine to a tick illness, Pokie — the Queen of the farm — was attacked by a coyote & has recovered, though she’ll have a limp for the rest of her days, some unexpected changes at my day job, and so much more I’ve chosen not to go into publicly out of respect for the privacy of others involved – so I’m quite ready for 2012 to be here.

In a few weeks I’ll temporarily re-enter grad school to pick up an extra class that wasn’t offered at the time I graduated back in 2006 … and hopefully next fall I’ll begin teaching part time at the juco level in addition to my day job and weekend pet photography sessions. I have a few long weekend trips in mind for 2012 and perhaps a semi-decent roadtrip that weather and illness won’t thwart this time around. There’s already quite a few pet sessions booked for early 2012, so some of those will pop up here on the blog in the coming months along with images from 2011 trips I still haven’t finished processing!

Happy New Year 2012 to all of you!

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From Christina & the *elves* at CMP, Merry Christmas!

For those of you on our snail mail Christmas card mailing list, you’re already aware of the following news since these cards went out to you within the last couple of weeks, but I held out on making the announcement here on the blog until today …

Christina McCall Photography has evolved throughout the last four plus years … and after much consideration, I am taking a break from portraiture & commercial photography. CMP will be focused on only travel, landscape, and fine art photography for the foreseeable future. In addition, a new service that isn’t exactly photography-related will be debuted very soon.

The CMP blog will still be updated with images from my travels, projects, and pet sessions … along with the archives in place for reminiscing.

Sit.Stay.Snap., the pet photography division of CMP, will continue about business as normal after January 1st with some slight changes. I won’t rule out a return to offering portraiture sessions for my human clients … so if you’d like to be notified via email when that time comes, please sign up here (this is a different list than my regular newsletter that will continue to be sent out seasonally).

Thanks for a great four + years … and please visit the site again on January 1st to see the rebranded Christina McCall Photography that has been in the works for the last few months!

PS … below is the original image from this year’s card … this was a cottage near an inn in Gruene, Texas that had a vacancy sign on it, which immediately made me think of Mary & Joseph & the birth of Jesus

[ contact CMP | follow CMP on facebook | follow Christina's tweets | subscribe to the blog ]

[ contact CMP | follow CMP on facebook | follow Christina's tweets | subscribe to the blog ]

Since I only have a very limited number of session openings from now through mid-November, those that want holiday portraits with Christina McCall Photography this holiday season need to contact me soon to get on the calendar!

Holiday Seasonal Session Options …

#1: The Holiday Quick Snap Session — $225 + tax

Date: Saturday, September 24, 2011 — only 7 appointment times available
Location: Private farm near Athens, Texas (directions provided upon session confirmation)
On the farm, all clients will have portraits taken on the pine lined drive & in front of a rustic barn — a tuffed bench, a cream wingback chair, and a few other wooden/metal chairs will be available for use + two handmade vintage quilts will be available to choose from as well.

Details: 15-20 minute session for up to five (5) immediate family members and 1 outfit (no outfit changes due to time). Within 2 weeks, I’ll activate your five day online ordering gallery with five (5) photographer selected & basic color edited images.

Included in the Quick Snap Session Fee:
(2) 8×10
(2) 5×7 
24 5×7 flat custom Christmas cards w/ envelopes

No additional purchase required with this option. Clients will have the option of purchasing the digital files of all the images in their gallery as one of the add-on products available upon gallery launch.
Session fee + product value: $325.00 – Save $100.00 with this prepaid bundled option!

#2: Limited Edition Holiday Sessions: $450 + tax

Limited to the first 8 clients to book this option!  Only one more left!
Details: 30 – 45 minute session with up to five (5) immediate family members — 1 outfit at 1 location (client’s choice of locations in Athens, Tyler, Edom, or Canton). This session option is also available for Sit.Stay.Snap. clients (locations limited to pet-friendly locales in Athens, Tyler, and Canton).

Within 2 weeks, I’ll activate your five day online ordering gallery with 15 photographer selected & basic color edited images.

Included with your session fee:
Client’s choice of:
$250 print credit – can apply to a la carte print purchases or towards one of the collection options (cannot be applied to custom design products, canvases, or float wraps)
OR
(1) archival disc with your favorite 5 basic color image files sized to print at 8×10 or smaller + a personal print reproduction release & watermarked proofs to share on Facebook/via email

PLUS
(1) 11×14 Signature Line Wall Art Print 
24 5×7 flat custom Christmas cards w/ envelopes

No additional purchase required with this option.
Session fee + product value: $525.00 – Save $75.00 with this prepaid bundled option!

BONUS!!

All clients that book a Limited Edition Holiday Session will be entered into a drawing to win an 8×10 metal print of the image of your choice — a $100 value!

A la carte & Collection Options …

Essential Line Desk & Gift Art Prints (wallet sets, 5x7s, and 8x10s) start at $25.
Signature Line Wall Art Prints (11×14 and up) start at $100.
Elite Line Custom Art Prints (custom designed wallet sets) start at $60.
Custom Designed Products start at $75.
Print & Digital Collection options for full custom sessions start at $450.
6.25% Texas State Sales Tax is assessed on all services and products as per state law.

Ready to book your Holiday Portrait Session? Click here to contact Christina!

[ contact CMP | follow CMP on facebook | follow Christina's tweets | subscribe to the blog ]

[ contact CMP | follow CMP on facebook | follow Christina's tweets | subscribe to the blog ]

[ contact CMP | follow CMP on facebook | follow Christina's tweets | subscribe to the blog ]

Colorado roadside …

Summer is almost here … and with the onslaught of hot humid days, the CMP blog will be starting its ‘blog vacation‘ this week. Rather, I’ll be taking a bit of a break from dropping in on the admin side the blog as often as I normally do …  

From now through the middle of August, images from past travels as well as images from upcoming travels will debut a couple times a week. As I had an hour here and there throughout this past winter and spring, I’ve skimmed through past travel images I hadn’t edited and/or blogged and pre-scheduled posts set to go live as of this Wednesday.

I’ll still be dropping in each Sunday to prep the 52 week image posts that appear on Mondays and to make any site updates/approve comments as necessary, otherwise I plan to limit my computer/online time this summer as much as possible outside of quick updates, emails, and editing client images. So … it’ll be *quiet* around here biz-wise until mid August. Session sneak peeks will pop up here on the blog again starting in mid to late August as well as an announcement regarding 2011 Holiday specials.

Summer 2011 Session Availability … I will be shooting a very limited number of custom sessions very early in the am on selected Saturday & Sunday mornings during the next couple of months as well as the Friday Night Lite sessions. June, July, and August all have availability as of today’s post.

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When: Selected Friday evenings starting at 6:30 pm (only 2 mini appointment times per each date)
Where: Downtown Tyler only (specific locations to be selected by CMP)
How Much: $250.00 plus tax

What’s included:
•20 minute mini session for up to three people (or two people and one canine companion) with no wardrobe changes
•Five day online ordering gallery with 10 photographer selected basic color edited images to choose from
•$200 print credit to apply to a la carte prints or collection options — no minimum order required beyond the print credit (great if you’re on a budget!)
•16 Elite Line Custom Wallets (choose your favorite image and one of our limited edition wallet designs)
(a la carte value: $320.00 + tax)  

[ contact CMP | follow CMP on facebook | follow Christina's tweets | subscribe to the blog ]