Donovin - 6 Months Old

You've seen him when he was 3 months old, now here he is at 6 months and growing fast. Unlike Donovin's first session where his mother (Jackie) held him in her arms for many of the images, this time he was on his own. Needless to say, between Jackie, Dana, and myself we spent a lot of time trying to tie him down to one spot so I could get a great shot. However, we did a lot of laughing as Donovin humored us with his own set of playful antics. This was Donovin's first Christmas portrait session and we look forward to many more as he grows up to being a little boy. Merry Christmas, Donovin and Jackie.

Willie

Donovin is simply droolling for his presents.

Chunky boy!An absolutely adorable image of Donovin

Fall Dance Concert

Over the weekend I had the chilly pleasure of driving up to Atlanta (entire family in tow) to see my granddaughter perform in the Fall Dance Concert at Spelman College. Jazmine is in her junior year and is a student enrolled in Spelman's Drama and Dance program.

I was quite disappointed that I wasn't able to video record the performance, but Dana managed to get some great still shots of her on stage, after the show, and in her dorm room. Now you have got to imagine this. I'm at an all girls college, in an all girls dorm room, surrounded by eight women, and trying to blend in with their conversations and dorm horseplay. I just sat on the sofa, propped up my feet, and listened to the rumblings in my stomach because it was 11PM at night and I was HUNGRY!!! I will have to admit, though, that it was kinda fun taking cheesy snapshots with everyone. Because I AM a professional photographer you know how difficult it must have been for me to be involved in that type of non-professional behavior.

After our visitation time was over I realized that it was good hanging out with my granddaughter, her roommate, and friends. After all we hadn't see her for months because she didn't come home during the summer. In addition, I got to see up close where all my tuition bucks are going.

The finale of our visit was when we got the chance to see Jazmine perform a dance routine for her home church (New Birth Baptist Church). Congratulations on a great performance, Jaz, and I know you are aware of where all of your talents and gifts come from. I look forward to coming in 2010 for your graduation...as long as it's not 24 degrees!!!!!

Willie (Grandpa)

Jazmine's (4th from left) and her dance
troupe taking a bow after a routine.

Dancers after their performance.

All the Hills minus my grandson who had
to miss the Atlanta trip because of a football game.

Jaz with choreographer T. Lang

Jazmine hitting me up for a cash advancement.
Sorry, Charlie. Money is tight these days.

Inside look at what REALLY goes on in a girls dorm.
Jazmine, Chasity, Anastacia, & Kerrionne.

Colorful foot gear is an indicator of how

cool it is to walk around in your room.

Jazmine with her roommate, girlfriends, and all the Hill girls.

Look, Mom. I'm hanging out in the girls dorm.

Jazmine with her church dance group before practice.

Jaz practicing her moves for her Sunday performance.

Some people just don't know how to use chopsticks.

Transfer VHS Tapes To DVD

What do you do with tons of old VHS tapes of you and your family that haven't been viewed in ages because you don't have a tape player or it is non-functional? Here's a simple solution. Let us transfer your tapes to a DVD disc that will play on your computer and/or your current DVD player that's connected to your wide-screen HD TV.

Bring your VHS tapes up to date while conserving space

At Portrait Corner Studio we're constantly adding new services that will help our clients improve the quality of their lives. Two of the newest items we're adding to our product line is video coverage of small events and VHS transfer service. For more information about either of these products contact Willie at: (954) 921-7959.

Introductory Discount

Receive a $5 discount off the total price for transferring two tapes at the time of ordering (offer expires: Dec. 31, 2008).

Congratulations, Cassie!

I love it when my clients share their lives with me. I've often said that I don't have clients...I have models and friends. So, it is always a treat for me when they take the time to write or call me with news about what's going on since I last saw them.

Anyway, I just got an email from Cassie Pejza announcing to me that she has a brand new baby. I photographed her and Ketro during a couple session many months ago and now she's a mommy. Congratulations, Cassie and Ketro! Your photographer is looking forward to your first family portrait session.

Willie

Inspirational Thought #4

What is it that you think God isn't big enough to change?

Solaris In Concert

There's an old adage that says: "Music is a universal language". I want you to meet one of the artists that is spreading this language in her own unique style: Jaime Allen (a.k.a. Solaris). Jaime came to my attention when I was visiting the new neighbors of a business that had just opened in the shopping plaza where our studio is located. While visiting with Sam and Debbie (owners of The Spider Web) and checking out the decor of their store, I noticed one of Jaime's CD on the counter top. Immediately, I was drawn to the fantasy-like aura about her and became intrigued with the idea of photographing her.

To make a long story short, I contacted her through her website, told her that I'd love to photograph her, and gave her a link to my site so she could check out my work. She emailed me back and said she would enjoy having a photo session with me. Weeks had gone by and we were not able to get together, but finally she was in concert and I drove to Miami to cover her on stage. This was not the portrait session that I had in mind, but it was neat doing my thing while Jaime was doing her thing on stage. I'm looking forward to images that I'll be creating of her at a later date. Then you'll get to see the other side of Solaris.

Willie

French is her native tongue,
but music is her international language.

The first three shots where created
of Jaime underneath an overhead light
while she sat in a chair getting
makeup applied .

Jaime pouring her soul into her music.Jaime got really personal here....

Useful Web sites #2

Windows/Mac Display Themes

If you want to spice up your default monitor colors and interface theme, check out this web site: http://www.themedoctor.com

The site has a number of free down loadable themes to create custom appearances for your XP/Mac machine. There's tons more free stuff such as screensavers and etc. too.

Photographer VS Photographer

At the October Perfect Wedding Guide bridal show, I met Terry Sunday as she photographed the setup of the booth next to my display. We struck up a conversation, as photographers will do, and she let me show her a couple of new techniques with her camera. As I spoke with Terry I sensed our personalities were a perfect blend of trust and friendship. So, I offer her a portrait session with the promise of teaching her more about photography. I was genuinely intrigued by her pleasing inner spirit and openness to a stranger. I felt that I could create some unique images of her that would present her as a photographer and a beautiful woman.

Terry came to the studio this Saturday and we pampered her with TLC. First, Krystal Cordo (make-up artist) prepared her face for the session while Dana and I created some simple background sets to photograph her against. From the very first image I took of Terry I was impressed with her uninhibited, funny & giddy spirit that lasted the entire session. I know how difficult it is to trade places in front of the camera as opposed to being behind it. Terry, my hat goes off to you. You were a marvelous subject and every bit of the perfect model I knew you could be. Now you can admit that you are a pro on both sides of the camera.

Enjoy!
Willie

Terry is a Nikon shooter,
but we won't hold that against her.

Terry is one of the happiest persons I know....

with the most beautiful eyes.I truly enjoyed capturing Terry's inner beauty.Ray Flash ring light was used for
creating this and the two
remaining images.

Cameras: Canon 30D & 5D
Lenses: 24-105mm & 70-200mm
Lighting: Canon 580EX with RayFlash ringlight and PhotoFL Starlite QL