Investment

When you're investing in photographs, you're not just buying some prints, you're investing in memories.  Images that will be shared with your friends, family, and possibly your children, and their children, and beyond.  It is artwork, captured in the moment.  Each image is inspected for quality.  I strongly believe a true image comes straight from the camera, but enhancements sometimes makes what would be an amazing photograph, into that piece of art.  For your investment, on a typical 2 hour session, I spend typically 2-4 days editing and uploading.  All images are placed online for your private viewing.  I do NOT remove images from online storage, so they are there for you to view as you like, whenever you like, and to share with friends and family.  I also store them permanently on external hard drive.  My session fee covers the time, detailing, artistic rendering, mechanical fees (camera, computer, card reader, memory cards, flash, lenses, etc), and travel within 30 minutes of Walworth, NY.  Prices below do not include tax or prints.  Session fee due on date of session.  

• Standard 2 hour session: $100.00 Includes a CD of 10 images full size, your choice of images, and rights to print (immediate family, extras are $10 ea)
• Mini 1 hour session: $40.00 (Only when offered; immediate family, extras are $10 ea)
• Newborn Session: $125.00 Includes a CD of 10 images full size, your choice of images, and rights to print
• Belly & Baby Combo: $150.00 All on CD and via Email as time progresses, with rights to print (monthly belly shots, monthly age pictures...not 2 hour sessions, up to 12 mos)
• Bridal (not wedding): $200.00 Includes a CD of 10 images full size, your choice of images, and rights to print
• Engagement: $150.00 Includes CD of 10 images full size, your choice of images, rights to print, and 25 Save the Date Cards

Fully customized packages begin at just $30.00.  I do not offer a la carte at this time, however, when I place someone's order, I can order an a la carte print.  If you'd like for me to order a single print of something, please contact me directly.  

Fine art pieces as well as boutique items, albums and CD's are available to order as well.  

As a rule I only sell photo CD's containing all images in 4x6 print size, when package is purchased.  If you would like to purchase a 4x6 CD with images without purchasing a package, please contact me for pricing.  If you'd like to purchase additional full size images on your CD, contact me for pricing as well.

Senior sessions start at $200 (includes prints and other items, contact me for full details).  Weddings start at $1,000 and up.  

If you have any questions, or would like to arrange payments, do not hesitate to contact me! I will happily work with you to get you the images YOU deserve!  -Cathie

cathie@playdatephotography.net

Changes

cakesmashboard, a photo by CathieRainwater on Flickr.

Hey everyone, there'll be some changes coming up in the near future! Namely in my pricing. I'm keeping the point system, however, for the time being. I'm going to make a new post to explain your "Investment" when choosing Playdate Photography. Another thing, if you have used me in the past, be sure to go on over to Yelp and look me up! Make sure you leave a review. :) http://www.yelp.com/biz/playdate-photography-portraits-by-cathie-wayne-county Also if you're on Facebook, and haven't been to my facebook page, be sure to check that out too. I updated the slide show on my page, and need to update the links along the bottom. Stay tuned for announcements, too! Like a contest! Thanks everyone!!!

Been a while

Hey all it's been a while since my last post! being the mommy of 3 kids has been a real adventure (and a lesson in chiropractics!). As you'll notice, some of my images on my blog are "missing." And they'll stay missing temporarily. I have become the victim of photo theft! I found out my daughter's images were being used on a google social network called Orkut by a group of people who use people's kid's pictures as profile pictures and whatnot. It's rather creepy...they know when her birthday is, and devoted fan sites to her. Not exactly something one wants to find out. So for everyone's sake, I've changed around some privacy settings. I'll be adding huge watermarks and putting some of the images back up. This will also mean some changes in sneak peaks. I will require a signed paper saying it's okay to put the images up for the public to view. I've done this in the past, and will again. Rest assured I've spent hours over the course of a month, each night, looking for images of mine of someone else's child but have not come across any that I know on the Orkut site. So everyone else's images were safe.

In other news, I just did my first wedding!...and then sprained my elbow. So image editing has been slow, but the pain is going away! Above is a picture of their cake (click on it for the full image) and the two cake toppers. :) They put them on for the cake cutting. I took about 600 pictures in 7 hours. I have to make up my mind about doing more weddings. I loved it but I don't have a home office, and my youngest is almost a year old, so she demands a lot of attention. My husband's job demands his attention (as well as Perfect World video game). So it makes for a stressful editing session as my little one grabs my laptop and tries hitting buttons...not great when you're editing! Anyway, I will probably do them on a case by case instance. It'll depend on my husband's schedule, and what's going on. But I'm open to them for now!

Win Big 2010

Tabbi2010Dec008a
Originally uploaded by CathieRainwater

I've decided to do a giveaway every December at the end of the year which will include not only a FREE session but also a FREE 4x6 photo CD of ALL images from your session! Winner will email me their address and I will mail a gift certificate good for the year 2011, or an arranged pick up/drop off can be arranged. Easy! You have until December 24th 11:59 PM to comment on here or my facebook page, under the post that says to comment under it. I will assign numbers and post them on both my FB and on here, then will go to random.org and do a drawing. Winner will be announced immediately. :) Happy holidays!

A Day of Mini Sessions!

How would you like to come visit Children's Attic on November 8th (the shop will be closed, but open for me to use), pay $50.00 and get 7 points to spend on prints or holiday cards?? You'll get a 15 minute session with me...which includes everything I do for a 2 hour session, just crammed into 15 minutes. All images will be handled in the same way that a full 2 hour session is, stored, edited...etc. Holiday cards are 5x7 and "cost" 7 points for 25! And by doing it November 8th, you'll have them with plenty of time to send them out to friends and family. I overnight ship and can have it shipped directly to you! :) I'm only offering it on this one day, Monday November 8th, from 10:00 AM - Noon, then 1:00 PM - 5:30 PM. So email me ASAP to reserve your session today! c_m_rainwater@hotmail.com (I do invites and thank you cards as well! Below is an example of an invite)

New Package Pricing 10/17/10

I've always been on the hunt on how to price things economically minded while trying to make packages that I thought would make sense. However, why would that make sense if it's not what you want, right? The new system is simple. Packages I had started at $30 and so this starts out by giving you a basic package for $30. What's in the package, however, isn't prints...it's points. You get 7 points to "spend" on prints...of ANY image! No more "one pose per package" rule. I have a chart that has what each size print "costs" in points. And you can purchase more points to make your package bigger. The more points you buy, the cheaper it is per point! So here's the chart, and the prices. You must buy the basic package to get a package.

Basic Package $30.00
7 Points (ex. 8 wallets, one 5x7, one 8x10)

Add on points to make your own packages:

1-4 points: $5.00 each

5-9 points: $4.75 each

10-14 points: $4.50 each

15-19 points: $4.25 each

20+ points: $4.00 each

So if you wanted (16 wallets, two 5x7, 8x10, and a 10x13) it would cost $72.75 instead of $90.00! And each sheet can be a different image! (Wallets must come in groups of 8). I hope this will make things a whole lot easier! Specialty shoots, such as seniors and Day in the Life of...haven't changed (as of yet). I'll get to those later, and I'm going to be assigning points to everything I sell to make it a lot more organized and simple to arrange. (Such as greeting/holiday cards which are 7 points). :)

Are you Ready for Some Football?

football01vin
Originally uploaded by CathieRainwater

Just a short little blog post for a tiny little photo shoot from today. A friend of mine's son is in football and didn't care much for the regular team photos so I of course jumped in and said I'd snap a few pics! Of course I'm clueless about football poses, but fortunately he knew his poses, and his dad was there to help. This picture is of course the back of his jersey with his number....I was just warming up (kinda literally...it was FREEZING out there and windy to boot), doing a few test shots for color and got this one. I loved it in its natural color, of course, but then turned it vintage and love it even more. :) I do sports stuff, including player cards and water bottles!