We love Facebook here at Merrick Photography, and I see a LOT of profile photos in the course of a day! I also get a lot of requests from people for a headshot they can use on Facebook, especially from those wanting to present a professional appearance rather than using a photo of themselves at the beach or with their cat.

So, I’ve decided to dedicate one Friday per month as “Facebook Friday” where anyone can come down to the studio for a quick headshot they can use on their Facebook profile (or LinkedIn, Twitter etc.)

Normally, I would charge $50 for an executive headshot, but on “Facebook Fridays” it’s not even $25, not $20, but ONLY $16.50 per person (one pose), including sales tax.

You get a great headshot you can use on your profile, emailed straight to a computer near you the same day.

Our first “Facebook Friday” is Friday August 20^th (yes, I know it’s a little short notice, but better late than never!), from 11am to 4pm inclusive. Just drop on by, we’d be thrilled to see you!

Do people stop you and tell you your child should be a model, but don’t know where to begin?

Whether you’re looking to get started in modeling as a career or looking to add a new fresh updated photo to your current modeling portfolio, no experience is necessary for me to photograph your child. Leave that to me and my experience behind the camera.

Take a look at this short video of some of our recent models and see for yourself what we can do for you, and what fun they can have here in the studio!

We use models to constantly update our studio portfolio. Our regular (paying) clients expect industry-leading portraits, so we’re always trying out new photographic styles and lighting techniques to create the most flattering photographs imaginable. We NEVER let our work get “stale”.  So it’s a win-win deal. We get fun, fresh images for our studio, and our models get a free top-of-the-industry photo session. And not just a mini-session either – this is the kind of portrait session you can create a knock-out portfolio from if you want to. And if you don’t want a portfolio, you’ll have a ton of great portraits to choose from for the free digital file we give you for your comp card. We love getting calls from all the super-excited moms when our models get new jobs.

For more information, visit our Angel Hill Models web site where you can learn more about the program, fill out an application and schedule a session for your child.

Time to put on your creative thinking caps again folks, because here’s another chance to win a FREE engagement portrait session with Merrick Photography. Our motto is “Images Inspired By You…“, and I thought it would be great to celebrate that fact by allowing our engaged readers the opportunity to really inspire us into doing something a little different…

All you have to do to win is suggest a location and/or theme for what you think would be the coolest, quirkiest or most romantic engagement portrait session ever. The best one submitted by midnight on 5^th May 2010 wins their dream session, which can be anywhere within 150 miles of Memphis.

To submit your entry, simply join the Merrick Photography fan page on Facebook and leave your suggestion as a comment or post before midnight on 5^th May 2010.

If you’re the lucky winners of the free engagement portrait session, there’s absolutely no obligation to hire Merrick Photography as your wedding photographer (although we’d love to do that, of course).

Thanks and good luck!

Our lives are a series of important milestones (childhood, graduation, marriage, raising a family) and we value our photographs so much because they capture memories of such happy times. But, it goes much deeper than that – we’re not only holding on to memories, but also what it felt like at the time, the emotions and love that go with those memories.

I believe being a photographer isn’t only about creating photographs – it requires empathy to truly capture those “images inspired by you”. Later, as you admire your portraits, you’ll recall the feelings of love and joy from those precious moments.

It’s tempting to put off having portraits created “until the time is right”, but our daily lives conspire to keep us distracted from the most important things. Our children will only be this age RIGHT NOW; there’s only going to be ONE wedding day; senior year is GONE before you know it; our families are ALWAYS worth celebrating…

Take time to connect with the things that inspire you – call NOW for a friendly chat about how professional portraits can enhance your life and the lives of those you love.

“I Love You…”

Nothing is more cherished or treasured than a child who says to you, “I love you…” and Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse for them to do just that!

Kids love to make things and helping to create their very own Valentine’s Day card has to be up there at the top of the list!

30 Minute Portrait Sessions

For a limited time only (2/2/10 to 2/5/10) we’re offering our “Hugs & Kisses” afternoon sessions for Valentine’s Day. There are only a few 30 minute sessions available each of the four days and once they’re booked, that’s it, they’re gone!

The kids are going to have so much fun creating these photographs, to produce a beautiful set of lasting portraits that you’ll treasure for a lifetime. These sessions are ideal for kids of all ages and everyone is welcome, but they’re particularly suited to those aged around 5-10.

Custom-Designed Art Valentine’s Cards

Not only do they get three truly awesome concertina cards with up to 12 poses, but the cards are sure to be something you’re going to want to keep forever. Printed on archival watercolor paper with a custom cover, the finished cards are a unique item indeed.

Free $20 Build-A-Bear Gift Card

As if that’s not enough for them, what young child doesn’t adore the “Build-A-Bear” store? I’ve never met one yet that doesn’t go nuts over the place. Now, for a limited time, we’re including a complimentary $20 gift card to the Build-A-Bear Workshop with any portrait package purchased from the “Hugs and Kisses” sessions.

Be A Music Video Star!

How would they like to star in their very own music video? Now, they can! Imagine how excited they’ll be when they see their photographs in a really cool slideshow, all set to music? You can share the video with friends, post it on Facebook or just watch it on your TV. Either way, these cool music videos have been a great hit.

How Do I Book?

The portrait creation fee is normally $75 but, for the “Hugs and Kisses” sessions, the price is only $45, a saving of $30. But, you must act soon. These sessions are going to sell out fast, and I can only fit in a certain number in the four days that the special is running and guarantee to have the cards here in time for Valentine’s Day.

Act NOW!!

If you like what you’ve seen and read here, call me TODAY at (901) 606-9105 and we can have a chat about the sessions and what to expect. There’s no obligation and I can let you know if I have any session slots remaining. But hurry… you can never call too early, but you can call too late…

Arguably the most romantic day of the year is fast approaching – Valentine’s Day! This is the exciting time of year when we celebrate our love and our everlasting relationships, although I would advocate celebrating such things every day!

What will you do for Valentine’s Day this year? Send a card? Go out for a romantic meal? Give a beautiful gift? Send flowers?

But how much of that will actually last more than a few days?

How about a gift that will last a lifetime? If you could have something that would capture the beauty of your love for each other and preserve it forever, so that you could reflect on it and enjoy it for the rest of your lives, wouldn’t that be the most amazing gift you could possibly give?

That’s precisely what a beautifully crafted portrait of the two of you can do…

For a limited time only, you can have a “romance” portrait session that will truly capture your wonderful relationship and the love you share with each other.

No other gift will say, “I love you” so clearly and for so long…

For more information, simply call me TODAY at (901) 606-9105 and I’ll be happy to chat with you.

What’s more, the first 9 couples to make their booking before 2/13/2010 will receive 50% off their session fee and 15% off portrait packages. The actual session can be held at any time, at a location of your choice, but you must book before 2/13/2010.

These romantic sessions can be held anywhere that’s meaningful to you, or in the comfort of your own home, but you must hurry to qualify for the special promotional discount.

This short video is the result of a wonderful kids portrait session in the park at Shelby Farms. What a great day! Wonderful people to photograph, beautiful colors and light, and the weather was simply fantastic! These three sisters had so much fun just being themselves and playing at being models for an afternoon – they all agreed afterwards that they had way more fun than they were expecting, which is a real compliment.

For me, I had a truly great time, and enjoyed creating every one of these photographs – one of the amazing things that makes being a photographer so rewarding.

The fall colors are still here, so call today to schedule your own fun portraits in the park session!

We had a really fun time at the Memphis Botanic Gardens with Wendy, Katie & Abby, creating a wonderful series of portraits of these three friends.

The weather was perfect, although hot at times, so we concentrated on areas where we could find some good shade for the portraits.

This particular photograph was taken near the prehistoric trail in one of the wooded areas of the botanic gardens – some nice shade, but the bugs obviously liked the cooler area too!

Thank you to the three girls for making the session so much fun and I know you will be thrilled when you get to see the rest of the images in their final finished forms.

You can see more of the images from this portrait session in my Facebook Album - Portraits – Katie, Abby & Wendy.

If you would like a similar session in the Memphis Botanic Gardens, or another favorite location, please feel free to email for information or call me directly at (901) 606-9105.

A portrait of Wendy, taken on the banks of the Mississippi River in Harbortown, Memphis, TN. The photograph was taken just a couple of minutes before sunset at the end of a beautiful day. Harbortown and the greenbelt river park are great locations for almost any kind of portrait session – from children to seniors, or families.

For this particular photograph, we balanced the setting sun and the bright reflections in the Mississippi river with am off-camera flash, to create this dramatic portrait.

I am often asked what are the best products to display portraits, and my answer is always the same – canvas wall portraits. Without a doubt, these are the single most amazing way to display your cherished family portraits, children portraits or senior portraits, and they come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes.

Canvas wall portraits are so much more visible and have a lot more impact than the standard 8 x 10 that has been around for so long now, and which almost invariably end up in a drawer somewhere.

Because the canvas portraits I use are all in the gallery-wrap style, they come ready to hang – either unframed, or in one of the new incredible floating frames. Every time you look at your portraits, you will clearly see the love, warmth and devotion of your family.

As with everything I do, all portraits are 100% guaranteed and will give you and your family pleasure for a lifetime.