Become a fan

Hi everyone! I just opened a fan page on facebook specifically for April Spaulding Photography & Design. Yes, I have my groupies but I can't do all the fun stuff like on a fan page. I would love it if you became a fan and helped me out by leaving your comments, suggestions and even your reviews of your experience with me that would be fantastic! Click here to become a fan

Thanks so much!

Tommy and Marie

I had such a great time getting to know Tommy as this was our first encounter. He was a bit camera shy but finally got the hang of my abilities. Their wedding is scheduled for July 18, 2009.



The engagement session was shot in the lovely town of Fort Benton, Montana. I couldn't have been more pleased with the scenic surroundings. Although the wind was blowing something fierce. You have to love Eastern Montana!
Congratulations to both of you.

Senior Rep Application & Info

Are you going to be a 2010 senior and interested in getting free senior photos, cash rewards and all the perks of being a senior photographers representative? We have begun searching for 2010 high school seniors to become April Spaulding Photography & Design Senior Reps.

Here is what you will receive if you qualify . . .

• Refer one friend and get $100 in free photo credit.
• Plus you get 50% off any additional prints or products, if you decide to order them.
• You will get a custom hardback brag book, which is yours to keep after referring 5 friends, valued at $200.
• Free Session/Creation fee (value of $150). Must be shot by August 2009.
• 5 complimentary Facebook/Myspace Images but you must leave one of these images as your default image through your graduation year of 2010. Must friend April Spaulding and join the group April Spaulding Photography & Design.
• We will pay you $20 for every one of your photo referral cards that is brought in to us with a paid senior session and spends $100 or more. Our prices are great, our style is fresh and unique and our quality level abilities are difficult for others to imitate. If you refer 25 classmates you just made $500 in cash.
• Refer 50 classmates and you will receive a new iPod Touch. Wow! On top of everything else.

DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES IF SO KEEP GOING . . .

Copy and Paste the below information into an email, fill it out and then email it to aprilspaulding@hotmail.com. We are accepting applications through May 31 and only 2 boys/2 girls from each school will be chosen! Time is a ticking...

First Name:
Last Name:
Mailing Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Home Phone:
Cell Phone:
Email Address:
Name of High School:
Graduation Year:
Parent or Guardian's Name:

**Must have either a MySpace/Facebook
MySpace Address:
Facebook Name:
Favorite Classes:
Extracurricular Activities:
Things you and your friends do for fun:
Do you think you have a style that other kids want to emulate? Why?:
Are you a good influence for your peers? Why?:
By placing a check here you agree to these terms:

***Each model will sign an exclusive contract to model for my studio and show off their images. You cannot badmouth other studios while promoting mine. A model release is required to participate and releases images to April Spaulding Photography & Design. I have read and agree to the terms. If I am a minor my parents have given me permission to participate in this contest. You will receive more details via email.

Taylor and Jacob Bink

Taylor was such a little Miss Diva for the camera. I think she could have stayed there about 4 more hours just doing more poses. We however, will meet again to do an outdoor photo shoot with the entire family when it starts to green up.

Taylor loves her little brother Jacob. All she wanted to do was make him giggle and laugh!


This is one of my favorites. More artistic than most of the class images but I love it! I am sure that Adam and Tina will too! Thank you so much for letting me get to know Jacob and Taylor on a whole different playing field than just at the rodeo arena! See you at the youth rodeo on Sunday!

Why a Professional Photographer vs a Family Friend?

After all the months of preparation, your wedding day will likely float by in a breeze of euphoria and excitement. As lovely as that seems, it is also likely that you won't remember everything. That is where a professional photographer can capture all those special moments that you both will savor forever.

I have been getting a ton of potential clients saying they are going to have a family friend do their photos. That is great however, will this family friend be there by your side the entire day or stop to take breaks, chat or drink with the rest of the crowd? Professionals are paid for a reason and they are there to do a job. These are moments you can't ever take back.

Does this family friend have all the proper lighting equipment, lenses and expertise available for all situations?

Does this family friend know about design, composition, and can they provide you with the many professional printing products that a hired photographer can?

Make sure you are not just hiring this photographer because they have paid $800 + on a new camera and they want to practice on your once in a life time wedding day. I will repeat...you can never get those exact moments back to preserve them for a lifetime.


When hiring a professional photographer...

The photographer you choose should have your vision, whether it be candid (photojournalism) or formal shots or a combination of many. April Spaulding does both. You may choose color photography to preserve all the hues of your flowers and decorations or you might love black and white images for their crisp and classic look. Maybe it is something in between! Part color and black and white. No worries! April Spaulding has the graphic design and expertise to do both. Maybe you are an artist yourself or just have a love for artisic images. We can sit down with you and decide on images and design that suits your tastes.

Some things to think about during your photographer interview:

• Ask to see an album of an entire wedding. If you look at just a portfolio, you are seeing shots from all sorts of different weddings (the best ones) so you are not getting a realistic view of hte photographer's ability.

• How many FULL weddings has this photographer done. Ask for references! You DO NOT want to take a chance on a once in a life time experience on a photographer who has not done but 2 weddings and one partial. There are so many things that could arise during the event and you want someone who has had experience to handle the many situations. Is this person great with people, groups and stressful situations. Sometimes if you don't ask, they won't tell.

• Definitely pay attention to the style, lighting, sharpness, color quality, vividness and composition. Your photographer has to suit your style, not the other way around. Each one has their own way they shoot and if it is not for you...search for another photographer. Do not base your choice solely on price as you will not be getting what you want in the end. This is your memories you are dealing with...not a piece of clothing on a rack at Walmart vs. ShopKo. Photographer's are artists!

• If you look at a photographer's work that only shoots indoor shots and you are having an outdoor wedding...ask to see outdoor shots...if there are none. Walk away.

One of the best planning tip books and organizers that I recommend to many brides is "The Brides's Essential Wedding Planner, Deluxe Edition" by Amy Nebens. It rocks! Comes in binder so you can ad pages, magazines, business cards etc. It has a pockets in each section to keep receipts or important items and keepsakes. If you book a wedding with me by May 1, 2009 I will include this planner as a thank you as I know it will be a valuable tool in planning your special day!

This is what engagments are all about...

So we were just driving around, looking for a beautiful place to take a photo. Well, little did we know that an old Ford Pick-up with a For Sale sign in the window would create such an awesome prop for us!

Jake and Julie, you both have so much magnetism between you I could just feel the connection. You couldn't keep you hands off of each other. I can't wait for the big day and Jake, you stay safe and see you then. Keep in-touch while in California.

Not quite 6 months but growing!

At almost 6 months he was sure a moving little bugger. Couldn't quite hold himself up yet but we helped with props and Mom helped keep him very content by keeping him fed. Thanks mom!



Kash was such a healthy little man. I enjoyed getting to finally meet him and getting to know his mom on a different level without all the distractions. I can't wait to see how the rest of the family is growing. See you Saturday!

ENGAGEMENTS - WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL?

1) The connection. Wedding days are busy and your photographer will be right there throughout the entire thing. They will be your shadow and it's a good idea to get to know them so that you have one less stress on your day. (A good photographer will be a helpful and calming element on your wedding day.) So are you comfortable with this person? Do you even like this person? If you get bad vibes during the engagement session, you can act on it before the big day.

2) The process. An engagement session is a test run of sorts. You get to know each other's personalities and the photographer gets a really good idea of what the couple does and doesn't like from their pictures. Do you have a good/bad side? Is there a certain pose that makes you uncomfortable? Are you hopelessly uncoordinated in heels (like me)? (Tip: plan your hair/makeup trial for that day to take full advantage.) I take note of each personality and quirks so that I can be an even better fit for them when the wedding day comes.

3) The look. There are a million photographers out there and each has his/her own style. When you see your engagement pictures, you can give feedback about what you really loved (and what you only kinda loved). Do you like tilted pictures? Do you dig the old 70's effects? Do you want to see more black and white? Do you want more close-ups? Do you want more scenic shots? You can look at all of the pictures in the world, but when it's your face that you're seeing, it's easier to know what you like and don't like.

4) The quality time. I hear over and over how much fun couples have on engagement sessions. Really. You can pick a location where he proposed or the place where you had your first date or some other location that holds nostalgic, personal value for you (even the home that you two share). It's strange at first but you get to be goofy and sweet and fun and just play together. With all the stress of wedding planning, it's great to take some time out to just PLAY.

5) Oh yeah… the Pictures! You get these awesome shots of just you and your honey bunny (aka schnookums, sweetie-pants, bumble buns, googly bear…)! Sure, you may have some that you took at the last bbq, but your head is chopped off and your friend is in the background trying to hit on that girl from across the street. You need quality pictures of the two of you, casual pictures that don't come from your wedding day.

6) The awesome things you can do with the pictures. Besides just having the pictures to frame around your house, the e-session pics are perfect for all sorts of wedding elements. Here are just a few ideas that I've come across…

Announcement for local newspapers – A lot of hometown newspapers have sections devoted to upcoming weddings and other announcements.

Your wedding website

Guest sign-in book – a guest book that you'll actually look at after the wedding! The pictures are laid out on the pages with space around them to allow guests to write notes and sign their names. I absolutely love these and get so psyched when a couple orders them because they're such a great way to combine an album of your pics with messages from the people you love. This is an alternative to another popular option – the photo signing board.

Invitations and/or Save the Dates – you don't have to have just text and clipart! There are so many ways to incorporate your images into the very first things your guests will see. Another bonus is that no other couple will ever have the same invites. Extend this to the rest of your paper products and use the pics on your ceremony programs, menus, and any signs that you have up.

Table Numbers/Centerpieces – Bring signs to your engagement session and use the resulting pictures as your table names

Favors – Oh man, where to even begin with this… I have seen so many kick @** ideas that have used people's pictures for wedding favors. Here is a very small sample of what's out there:

* Mix CDs with images of the couple on the CD label itselfMartha Stweart had an excellent article that mentioned photo playing cards, photo confetti, photos on cookies and lollipops, and photos on the bottoms of Hershey's kisses.

Accessories – There are a lot of companies out there and several Etsy sellers who can make jewelry out of your pictures. Surprise your guy with personalized photo cufflinks on the wedding day or make a brooch or locket to attach to your bouquet.

Engagement pictures are so worthwhile. Wedding day pictures are completely essential, but e-session pictures can be more timeless and personal since it's not about the wedding day and the festivities, it's about you as a couple.

This is why engagement sessions are complimentary when you book with me. It's as much for me as it is for my couples. I learn and play and show up on the wedding day as a friend rather than just another vendor.

Happy Planning!