When the calendar turns to the beginning of the school year, I get excited for all of my fall photos shoots and taking great client portraits that also can be used for Christmas cards. Throughout my blog posts, I have featured how the photos were incorporated into cards, but I had a few extra favorites that I wanted to share, including my own. Last year, my friend Crystal held her annual fall South of Hampton trunk show, which featured the gorgeousness of Trabeautiful Designs, Bespoke Stationery from Nashville, TN. With a fab selection of custom-made stationery including announcements, invitations, social stationery, calling cards, and Christmas cards, several clients had unique cards created from their session. Top of the line quality combined with unique designs were the perfect compliment to my portraits!
In addition, many of my clients choose to order their holiday cards through my store fronts at either Minted.com or Tiny Prints, so click below to check them out:
Christy Fassnacht’s Minted.com storefront: http://www.christyfassnacht.minted.com
Christy Fassnacht’s Tiny Prints storefront: www.tinyprints.com/storefront/christyfassnacht
P.S. My fall is quickly booking up, so be sure to reserve your spot today for portraits!
* We ended up using the “blue” scarf photo (above), but I couldn’t resist popping in this red option!
And here’s the card that I sent out to our family and friends that I designed myself! I LOVE cards that have an actual photograph, so I really love to hand-craft my cards, and this year was no exception – I wanted a fun and colorful card to compliment the whimsical beach portraits I took in the fall. It turned out to be one of my most favorite cards ever! I do have card templates, if you are interested in something fresh and different!
| Send this post to a friend
| 24 Comments 
“The dog was created specially for children. He is the god of frolic.” ~Henry Ward Beecher
After a string of capturing clients’ dogs in their final days, I was so excited to hear about the highly anticipated arrival of a new puppy! I tell people to capture them early and often, just like babies: they grow up so fast, and before you know it they are bigger than ever. So we snuck in an afternoon portrait session at the family’s home with their old faithful, Dixie, and their new puppy, Shooter. These two boys are having the best time! And while I am at it, I wanted to share portraits from the families’ Christmas card, because you can never have enough tow-headed handsomness!
“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive.” ~ Gilda Radner
As I capture portraits of families, that often includes much-loved family pets; however, recently I have been able to shoot the last days of several pets, and it gives me such joy to create this lasting memory of loved ones. In the Fall of 2010, we included sweet lab Maddie in a family portrait, but it also happened to be one of her last days. So when I got the call that the family’s other golden retriever, Ginger, was not doing well, I rushed over for some portraits. Ginger was named for her stunning color, and had beautiful and soulful brown eyes. I think the shared love and emotions speak for themselves.
Another client called me in December to shoot some portraits of her family’s dog, Mae the german shorthair. A fabulous hunting companion (hence the safety orange collar!), Mae was having trouble with a growth on her eye, but we were able to showcase her “good” side! I went out of town for the Christmas break, and when I got back, learned that Mae had gone on to doggy heaven. In fact, that is the name of a book, “Dog Heaven” by Cynthia Rylant, that my friend gave her kids upon learning the news. It is a lovely book that paints a picture that there are “fields to run in, soft beds (made of clouds turned inside out) and ‘angel children,’ because ‘God knows that dogs love children more than anything else in the world’.” Rest in peace, sweet pets!
“THE STARS AT NIGHT ARE BIG AND BRIGHT, DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS!”
I graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas and this past fall, I attended my 20th(!) reunion! My husband and I both graduated the same year, but didn’t meet until after college, and got married four years after that. So it’s pretty fun for both of us to go back and visit one of our favorite cities. I was also fortunate to have a few moments to shoot portraits for a dear friend right before all the festivities, and I’d say we captured them on a perfect fall afternoon. Mom used the first portrait for a bright and fun Christmas card, and it was fun to have the family dog participate too. And the gorgeous portraits of two young ladies will be a treasured memory. Just like whenever I hear the song above, I immediately want to join in the chorus and clap, just like Pee Wee Herman and friends!!!
Go ponies – looking forward to more Dallas sessions in the fall!
“A house is not a home until it has a dog.” ~ Gerald Durrell
Choosing a location for a shoot is always an integral part of the portrait process, and while I have many favorite spots that I love to take my clients too, one of the best locations is a family’s own home. For this fall session, we started at home, and captured the perfect picture for their Christmas card that included their super adorable dog, Jack (check out the perfect ivy wall that I can’t wait to use again!). And close by is a golf course, Cross Creek, with some great views, so we headed over to change it up for the end of the session. Add in captures that nail the children’s personalities (according to mom and dad!) and two more things I love in a session: no front teeth portraits, and some with mom! Another moment in time, saved on film!
