March 28, 2008
Do they get any cuter?
We can't get over how C-U-T-E little "D" is! Mom wasn't sure how she was going to do because her first picture experience didn't go so well, but "D" did fabulous. She wasn't happy on our 'platter' that we started with, but once we got her on her belly she was a happy little girl. She tolerated a few outfit changes and by the end had had enough. She was pooped and was done. We hung around a few more minutes and caught a few of her sleeping. There's nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby! Thank you "L&P" for welcoming us in your home and letting us try out some new things! "D" is a doll!!!
Two x Two
"N&P" are familiar faces. We took pics of them back in December in their holiday outfits. They have gotten so much bigger since we saw them last! They will be 2 in May. So needless to say- we got our workout taking their pics. We started inside and got a few between rangling them back onto the backdrop. Then we went for a walk on the dock. They LOVED that- they were free! They went running down the dock stopping occasionally to look in the water. It was all going well until we turned around to head back. "P" was determined to keep continuing on the other way! Poor thing was so upset, but forgot all about it when we got back and we let them play outside on the playground. Thanks "A" for bringing them back!
Pictures of Friends
"W&L" are part of the group of friends we were talking about a few posts back. They are good friends with our kiddos and we're good friends with their mommy. We were thrilled to get to take their pics, but "W" was less than thrilled to get his pic taken! "L" was as happy as can be and all smiles. We tried everything we could to get him to join "L". Finally it came down to jellybeans and venturing outside. He was finally ok with buttoning his shirt and having his pic taken. Thank you, "A" for trusting us to take their pics and thanks Grandma for coming and helping out!
March 27, 2008
NEW PRICES
We have officially increased our session fees and print prices. You can find them on our website-http://www.brinkerfreedphotography.com/ -under Details. Those clients who have recently held or booked their sessions will still receive the old pricing. Thanks!
Why do you cost so much???
This is a question you may be asking yourself- especially with our price increase- so here is our answer, just not in our words.
This is from Shawn, Pamela & Gavin Richter of Caught on Film Photography. Copied here from www.caughtonfilmphoto.com/costofphotography.html.
Why are Professional Photographers so expensive? In this digital age where everyone has digital cameras, scanners and home "photo printers", when people upload their photos to a local drug store website and pick them up a few hours later, we hear this all the time - How in the world do Professional Photographers charge $55 for an 8x10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drug store? Here's why. Simply put, you're not just paying for the actual photograph, you're paying for time and expertise. First, let's look at the actual time involved. If you don't read this entire page, at least read this first part. For a two hour portrait session:- one hour of travel to and from the session- two hours of shooting- 30 minutes of setup, preparation, talking to the client etc.- 30 minutes to load the photos onto a computer (2 - 4 Gb of data)- 30 minutes to back up the files on an external drive- 3 - 4 hours of Photoshop time including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, saving a copy for print and a copy for the internet and backing up the edited photographs- 2 - 3 hours to talk to the client, answer questions, receive their order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment and drop package off at Fed Ex.- For local customers, we also print a set of all of their photos, and meet them at our studio to review the photos and place their order. Meeting and travel time averages 2 hours. You can see how one two hour session easily turns into more than ten hours of work from start to finish. So when you see a Photographer charging a $200 session fee for a two hour photo shoot, you are not paying them $100 / hour. For an eight hour wedding:- I won't bore you with the details, but an eight hour wedding typically amounts to at least two to three full 40 hour work weeks worth of time. Again, if they are charging you $4,000 for an eight hour wedding, you are not paying them $500 / hour. Now for the expertise. Shooting professional photography is a skill, acquired through years of experience. Even though a quality camera now costs under $2,000 taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera. Most Professional Photographers take years to go from buying their first decent camera to making money with their photography. In addition to learning how to use the camera itself, there is a mountain of other equipment involved, as well as numerous software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website etc. And let's not forget that you actually have to have people skills, be able to communicate, make people comfortable in front of the camera - and posing people to make them look their best in a photograph is a skill all by itself. Think of it this way - the next time you pay $X to get your hair done, a pair of scissors only costs $1.50. But you gladly pay a lot more to hire a Professional. What about the cheap studios at the mall? Please don't compare us to the chain store studios. But if you must, consider all of the time and work that we put into our photographs, compared to what they do. Good luck getting a two hour photo shoot at a chain store. Not to mention they won't come to the beach! And of course, look at our work compared to theirs. You get what you pay for. The truth is, most of the mall and chain store studios lose money. In fact, in 2007 Wal-Mart closed 500 of their portrait studios because of the financial drain they were putting on the company. What the chain stores bet on is that you'll come in for some quick and cheap photos, and while you're there, you'll also spend $200 on other things. They don't have to make money, they are just there to get you in the door. Conclusion: We hope that those who have taken the time to read this page will have a better understanding of why professional photographs cost so much more than the ones that you get from your local drug store. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Some of the info in this article may not apply directly to us and the way we do things right now, but it does explain the amount of work that we put in to your photographs. All prints will now be printed with an embassy texture to enhance the appearance of your investment and prints 16x20 and bigger are mounted on matboard and have a lustre coating. We are positive you will be more than happy with the results of our work.
Keep in mind that we are still competitively priced and even lower than some photographers in the Tampa area outside of the chain store studios!
We look forward to creating beautiful memories for you!
Why do you cost so much???
This is a question you may be asking yourself- especially with our price increase- so here is our answer, just not in our words.
This is from Shawn, Pamela & Gavin Richter of Caught on Film Photography. Copied here from www.caughtonfilmphoto.com/costofphotography.html.
Why are Professional Photographers so expensive? In this digital age where everyone has digital cameras, scanners and home "photo printers", when people upload their photos to a local drug store website and pick them up a few hours later, we hear this all the time - How in the world do Professional Photographers charge $55 for an 8x10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drug store? Here's why. Simply put, you're not just paying for the actual photograph, you're paying for time and expertise. First, let's look at the actual time involved. If you don't read this entire page, at least read this first part. For a two hour portrait session:- one hour of travel to and from the session- two hours of shooting- 30 minutes of setup, preparation, talking to the client etc.- 30 minutes to load the photos onto a computer (2 - 4 Gb of data)- 30 minutes to back up the files on an external drive- 3 - 4 hours of Photoshop time including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, saving a copy for print and a copy for the internet and backing up the edited photographs- 2 - 3 hours to talk to the client, answer questions, receive their order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment and drop package off at Fed Ex.- For local customers, we also print a set of all of their photos, and meet them at our studio to review the photos and place their order. Meeting and travel time averages 2 hours. You can see how one two hour session easily turns into more than ten hours of work from start to finish. So when you see a Photographer charging a $200 session fee for a two hour photo shoot, you are not paying them $100 / hour. For an eight hour wedding:- I won't bore you with the details, but an eight hour wedding typically amounts to at least two to three full 40 hour work weeks worth of time. Again, if they are charging you $4,000 for an eight hour wedding, you are not paying them $500 / hour. Now for the expertise. Shooting professional photography is a skill, acquired through years of experience. Even though a quality camera now costs under $2,000 taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera. Most Professional Photographers take years to go from buying their first decent camera to making money with their photography. In addition to learning how to use the camera itself, there is a mountain of other equipment involved, as well as numerous software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website etc. And let's not forget that you actually have to have people skills, be able to communicate, make people comfortable in front of the camera - and posing people to make them look their best in a photograph is a skill all by itself. Think of it this way - the next time you pay $X to get your hair done, a pair of scissors only costs $1.50. But you gladly pay a lot more to hire a Professional. What about the cheap studios at the mall? Please don't compare us to the chain store studios. But if you must, consider all of the time and work that we put into our photographs, compared to what they do. Good luck getting a two hour photo shoot at a chain store. Not to mention they won't come to the beach! And of course, look at our work compared to theirs. You get what you pay for. The truth is, most of the mall and chain store studios lose money. In fact, in 2007 Wal-Mart closed 500 of their portrait studios because of the financial drain they were putting on the company. What the chain stores bet on is that you'll come in for some quick and cheap photos, and while you're there, you'll also spend $200 on other things. They don't have to make money, they are just there to get you in the door. Conclusion: We hope that those who have taken the time to read this page will have a better understanding of why professional photographs cost so much more than the ones that you get from your local drug store. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Some of the info in this article may not apply directly to us and the way we do things right now, but it does explain the amount of work that we put in to your photographs. All prints will now be printed with an embassy texture to enhance the appearance of your investment and prints 16x20 and bigger are mounted on matboard and have a lustre coating. We are positive you will be more than happy with the results of our work.
Keep in mind that we are still competitively priced and even lower than some photographers in the Tampa area outside of the chain store studios!
We look forward to creating beautiful memories for you!
March 26, 2008
An angel watched over us
"T"- mom to "A", "E" and baby angel "Q"- was the winner of our Valentine contest and got a free session and $50 in free prints! We had the priviledge of taking pics of 12 day old "E" and big brother "A". "E's" twin angel "Q" watched over us during this session. "E" was the calmest baby boy and slept through most of the shoot- exactly what we wanted! It was a great pleasure working with this family. Thanks "T and T" for allowing us to capture this special time for you. It means a lot!
March 22, 2008
Happy Easter!
Just a few Easter pics of our kiddos to share with you.
First are "B&B" in their new Easter dresses made by our friend "K's" mom. BEAUTIFUL!
Both the girls and the dresses!
Then there's "C&E". They are getting so much better at having pics taken. It used to be a whole lot of running away & crying. Now they'll at least stay still and cooperate for a little while. Had to share, though some of the 'outtakes' from their Easter pic session.
The egg wreath wasn't exactly meant to be put on the head like a mexican sombrero! :)
First are "B&B" in their new Easter dresses made by our friend "K's" mom. BEAUTIFUL!
Both the girls and the dresses!
Then there's "C&E". They are getting so much better at having pics taken. It used to be a whole lot of running away & crying. Now they'll at least stay still and cooperate for a little while. Had to share, though some of the 'outtakes' from their Easter pic session.
The egg wreath wasn't exactly meant to be put on the head like a mexican sombrero! :)
Wishing everyone a very Happy Easter!
Fun with Friends
We have a group of friends that we get together with on a regular basis. It's nice because all of the kids (12 in total- 4 sets of twins, 1 set of triplets and their little sister) are all close in age, they've grown up together and are good friends and us mommies are all good friends, too!
We got together on Thursday for an Easter playgroup. It was loads of fun! Dying eggs, cupcakes for "C&E's" birthday, jumping on the trampoline, then 'painting' baby "C's" bottom for a fun Easter Keester pic!
We got together on Thursday for an Easter playgroup. It was loads of fun! Dying eggs, cupcakes for "C&E's" birthday, jumping on the trampoline, then 'painting' baby "C's" bottom for a fun Easter Keester pic!
March 21, 2008
New Niece
Kristine's brother and sister-in-law had a baby girl last week!
Kristine was at the hospital to take birth pics on the day "J" was born- we'll post some of those soon. We went to take some pics of baby "J" when she was only 6 days old. She was a good baby, but we STILL didn't get a sleeping newborn! "J" is "L's" cousin from a few posts down!
Mom, dad and big brother & sister were just smitten with her... it's no wonder why- she's beautiful!
Kristine was at the hospital to take birth pics on the day "J" was born- we'll post some of those soon. We went to take some pics of baby "J" when she was only 6 days old. She was a good baby, but we STILL didn't get a sleeping newborn! "J" is "L's" cousin from a few posts down!
Mom, dad and big brother & sister were just smitten with her... it's no wonder why- she's beautiful!
March 18, 2008
Spring Break Special
We're giving you a break for Spring Break... FREE Sessions!
Do you know someone between the ages of 13 and 19?
What?
We are looking for 'tween and teen 'models' to build our portfolio.
*You receive a FREE session!!!
*Current high school juniors also have the opportunity to become senior reps
-Earn print credits, free sessions and gift cards!
When?
Monday, April 7
Where?
9am-12pm Ybor
5-8pm Hyde Park
Contact us today to book your session!
Do you know someone between the ages of 13 and 19?
What?
We are looking for 'tween and teen 'models' to build our portfolio.
*You receive a FREE session!!!
*Current high school juniors also have the opportunity to become senior reps
-Earn print credits, free sessions and gift cards!
When?
Monday, April 7
Where?
9am-12pm Ybor
5-8pm Hyde Park
Contact us today to book your session!
March of Dimes March for Babies
Our good friend, Tara is having a fundraising event to raise money for the March of Dimes March for Babies. We are very excited to be partnering up to help her!
All of our babies were born premature-
Tara's baby boy, "L" was born 7 weeks early; he is now a healthy 4-month-old.
Sherilyn's girls, "B&B", were 9 weeks early; they are now healthy almost 3-year-olds.
Kristine's boys, "C&E", were 6 weeks early; they are now healthy 3-year-olds.
The March of Dimes' mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. The March of Dimes is the reason our babies are all now big and healthy. March of Dimes March for Babies walks for the health of ALL babies!
We hope you can come out to support Tara and let the kids have fun while helping to raise money for the March of Dimes (see info below)! Please forward this info on to anyone you think might be interested!
All of our babies were born premature-
Tara's baby boy, "L" was born 7 weeks early; he is now a healthy 4-month-old.
Sherilyn's girls, "B&B", were 9 weeks early; they are now healthy almost 3-year-olds.
Kristine's boys, "C&E", were 6 weeks early; they are now healthy 3-year-olds.
The March of Dimes' mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. The March of Dimes is the reason our babies are all now big and healthy. March of Dimes March for Babies walks for the health of ALL babies!
We hope you can come out to support Tara and let the kids have fun while helping to raise money for the March of Dimes (see info below)! Please forward this info on to anyone you think might be interested!
One day all babies will be born healthy. But we’ll have to walk to get there.
March for Babies raises funds for lifesaving research for preventions and solutions for babies born too soon or with birth defects, innovative educational programs, and essential support for families with a newborn in intensive care.
The March of Dimes is inspired by all babies–
those born healthy, and those who need help to survive and thrive.
You can help!
WHAT: Fundraising Event for March of Dimes/March for Babies
WHERE: 
1912 Oak Grove Blvd
Lutz, FL 33559
CONTACT: Tara 813-679-7970
WHEN: Friday, April 4, 2008 from 4-6pm OR Friday, April 18, 2008 from 6-8pm
COST: $25 per child
INCLUDES:
· Activities for the little ones
· Food & Beverages
· Prize Giveaways
· Candid/formal pictures taken and a FREE 5x7 from Brinker-Freed Photography!
INCLUDES:
· Activities for the little ones
· Food & Beverages
· Prize Giveaways
· Candid/formal pictures taken and a FREE 5x7 from Brinker-Freed Photography!
March 6, 2008
A new favorite
Philippe park is just amazing. Stone stairway, stone walls, lush greenery, walkways, BIG old tree, beachy water area... there are SO many great spots for pics there! We've been wanting to shoot there for quite some time. Well we got our wish... this was our 2nd time in one week!
"R" was just too funny. So independent running up and down the steps. Such a boy- he had so much energy! Poor little guy has bad allergies, so we had to work fast. He did such a great job! Mom and dad- the rest will be coming soon. Until then, enjoy this little sneak peek!
"R" was just too funny. So independent running up and down the steps. Such a boy- he had so much energy! Poor little guy has bad allergies, so we had to work fast. He did such a great job! Mom and dad- the rest will be coming soon. Until then, enjoy this little sneak peek!
March 4, 2008
Beautiful
Beautiful day, beautiful location, beautiful girls... it couldn't have been any better. "L" brought her girls out to get some pics as a surprise for dad. Ssshhh- don't tell him these pics are on here! "L&G" were just dolls and were complete love bugs with mom and eachother! Thanks for sharing the love!
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