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The 2012 Senior Model Casting for Partridge Lane Studio is Underway!

We are currently seeking incoming seniors from the class of 2012 from all over Central Arkansas to act as representatives of our studio. We need YOU to get the word out to your 2012 classmates that Partridge Lane Studio is where they need to come to get their senior portraits! We will be selecting 1-2 applicants from each school and the deadline to apply is August 20th, 2011.

Who Can Apply?

Any senior graduating with the class of 2012. Keep in mind, you don’t have to be a supermodel. Guys this means you too! We are looking for real people who are photogenic, very comfortable in front of the camera and like to have fun.

Does It Cost Anything To Be A Senior Model?

There is no extra fee of any kind to be a senior model. Bottom line, you will be paying for your senior portraits just as any client would. But Senior Models are special clients, with perks!

What Are The Perks For Being A Senior Model For Partridge Lane Studio?

Well, besides having the very best senior pictures in your entire school… maybe even the entire state.

•           Two FREE one hour senior portrait sessions.

•           Half off the minimum order.

•           We will create specially designed 2012 Senior Model cards with your image for you to pass out among your friends at school. These cards  have a special deal just for those you choose to give the cards to so you’ll want to make sure you are giving them to someone who is actually going to use it! PLUS you can earn cash for each and every senior who books a paid session and turns in YOUR card at their session.

•           You will also receive Facebook and blog sneak peek videos slideshows to show all your friends.

Tell Me What I Need To Do To Earn Money?

•           Get one friend to book a paid senior session with us, and turn in your card at their session and you will earn $10!

This money will be paid to you on a Visa gift card that you can spend anywhere you like. And it can add up as follows:

•           2 more paid senior referrals, earn $15 for each of them and a total of 3 seniors a total of $40

•           3 more paid senior referrals, earn $20 from each of them for a total of 6 seniors for a total of $100!

•           4 more paid senior referrals, earn $25 from each of them for a total of 10 seniors for a total of $200!

•           Earn $25 for each and every senior after that who books a paid session and turns in your card at their session.

•           If you get 25 seniors from your school to book sessions with our studio that is $575. But we like round fat numbers so you’ll get a total of  $600.00

How many seniors are in your class? 50? 100? 200? More? Anyone should be able to reach a goal of 10 referrals! Work it!

Okay! I Am Interested! Now, How Do I Apply?

It’s simple, just complete our online application found at the bottom of this page. We will evaluate all applications to see if you are a good fit. Selected models and their parents must do a phone interview to go over all the requirements for being a Senior Model for the class of 2012.

We want the best, outgoing students representing our studio, so fill it out as you would any job application. Please be sure to complete the entire application, take your time and use complete sentences and grammar. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Which High Schools Will You Be Considering Models From?

We will select 1-2 Senior Models from most Central Arkansas schools with special consideration being given to Academics Plus Charter School, Maumelle High School and Central Arkansas Christian. Our studio is located in the Maumelle area and we feel it is important to support our local seniors the way they have supported us.

•           Academics Plus Charter School

•           Catholic High School

•           Central Arkansas Christian Schools

•           Episcopal Collegiate School

•           J. A. Fair Systems Magnet High School

•           Faith Christian School of Little Rock

•           Little Rock Hall High School

•           Jacksonville High School

•           Little Rock Central High School

•           Lutheran High School

•           McClellan Magnet High School

•           Wilbur D. Mills High School

•           Maumelle High School

•           Mount St. Mary Academy

•           North Pulaski High School

•           North Little Rock High School

•           Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School

•           Pulaski Academy

•           Joe T. Robinson High School

•           Sylvan Hills High School

If you do not see your school listed here you can still feel free to apply!

cforms contact form by delicious:days

We currently have the following dates open in October afternoon of 10/1 all day on 10/8, 10/15, 10/22, 10/29. The minimum order is $50 to book the session, this is not a sitting fee, It’s basically a credit toward your print purchase. Also anyone booking in the month of October receives 56 free wallets (normally $59.00). You can e-mail the studio with the date you want, then mail a check or pay with a credit card over the phone, just let me know what works best. Once booked we can arrange a time to talk on the phone or meet in person to discuss the shoot and what your senior has in mind. If you have any questions at all feel free to let us know.

Studio Address:
Partridge Lane Studio
5502 East Partridge Lane
North Little Rock Ar, 72118

Whenever a senior contacts my studio, one of the first things they ask is “how much are your packages?” I do not sell my portraits that way and the reason is simple, I hate packages! With a package, what the customer wants has to fit into a predetermined set of sizes and poses and if you want to please most people you would have to offer no less than 15-20 different packages.

Wouldn’t be easier if each portrait was priced individually so that you can pick and choose which sizes you want, and spend the amount you want? So if you’re interested in a wall portrait for your home, an 8×10 for your desk and some wallets for friends and family, we can order exactly what you want—not what some photographer thinks you want.

Pictures from Rachel and Brandon’s engagement session. The session took place at the River Market in down town Little Rock Arkansas and Wildwood Park just outside the city. We had a great time and the rain stayed away just long enough for us to finish the session.

To see the HD version please click >HERE

Unfortunately, when a couple is searching for a Arkansas wedding photographer, how the photographer is going to perform after the wedding is not largely discussed and difficult to predict with any certainty.

Photographers largely sell themselves on their art, and rightly so. I think one of the biggest things to pay attention to when you’re hiring your photographer is whether or not their images make you FEEL something. You have to resonate with their eye and style. That’s a given. But once you find someone whose work you are in love with and who you would be comfortable having around on your wedding day, make sure to ask about their post-wedding service standards.

Ask questions like:
*  How long after the wedding can I expect to see my proofs?
*  When I place a print order, how long will it take to receive it?
*  How long does the album production process take?

In my opinion, the answers to these questions should be no longer than:
*  4 weeks
*  2 weeks
*  6 months (with partial responsibility resting on the client to
choose images, revise and approve the design, etc., in a timely
manner).

Now these answers are definitely on the long end of the spectrum. In this day and age of technology and our “need for speed” culture, photographers should be striving for even quicker delivery times. I take this part of my business very seriously and have been making changes to my post-production system in order to exceed my clients’ expectations.

If you want to be really thorough in your research while looking for a photographer, another step you can take after asking these questions is to ask for the contact info of three past clients. Email the brides and ask them the same three questions. I love to take people at their word, but with the horror stories I’ve heard, I might be inclined to dig deeper and ask other couples who worked with the photographer I’m interested in what their experience was like.

It’s disappointing when I hear stories about how wedding photographers have let their clients down. So if you’re looking for a photographer to capture the most important day of your life, make sure to take the steps above and hopefully we’ll talk someday and you can tell me how thrilled you were with your experience.

One topic that comes up fairly often is why Arkansas Wedding pictures photography costs as much as they do. I’m going to attempt to break it down here and hopefully give you the information that will help you more fully understand the answer to that question. These figures are average and will vary from one photographer to another. Also, keep in mind that a single unmarried photographer will probably have a lower cost of living than one supporting a family of five. Individual differences between photographers such as this, among others, does impact what a photographer needs to charge to survive.

Let’s assume the photographer lists a price of $2700 for 10 hours of coverage, an engagement session, a book of 500 proof prints and a 30-page coffee table album.

Out of that $2700 you need to consider the photographer’s expenses. First, there are the annual expenses that take a part of each wedding’s income. Among those expenses would be insurance, advertising, updates and maintenance of their website and sample albums, advertising, accounting and legal expenses, repair or replacement or upgrading of very expensive cameras and computers, continued education, wear and tear on their automobile, and for some-studio rent, electric and telephone. All this may come to $300 per wedding.

Next, there are the fixed expenses for each wedding. Include in this figure proof album and proof prints, consumables such as DVD’s or CD’s, and the cost of the coffee table book. This figure may come to $800.
After these expenses, the photographer is left with $1600. Federal, state and local taxes, social security and payroll taxes will take, on average, 40% of that $1600, or $640. This leaves the photographer with $960 in earnings for photographing your wedding.

Wow, you say, a thousand bucks for a few hours work on a Saturday sure isn’t bad. If it was that simple, you’d be right, it would be pretty good money.

So, let’s look at the time investment for each wedding:

2 hours for meetings, emails and phone calls as you interview the
photographer.
3 hours for the shooting and editing of your engagement session.
12 hours on your wedding day.
10 hours to process your images, get proofs printed, etc.
10 hours designing and producing the final album.
5 hours for phone calls, emails, planning sessions, etc.

All this and you still need to add in the hours each week needed to run the business.

All told, a photographer invests 40-50 hours in each wedding.
The national average income for wedding photographers is approximately $28,000 per year. So if it seems like wedding photographers make huge amounts of money, they do not. On average their incomes are pretty much in line with the rest of the employed public. Some make more and some make less, depending on experience, talent, the actual type of product being delivered, and overhead costs specific to that photographer.

I hope this information is helpful in understanding why your photographers’ prices are what they are.

One thing that you should always ask about, and insist on, is that your photographer has sufficient backup gear should something stop working. Cameras do fail unexpectedly. Flashes do short out when you least expect them to. It’ll happen to every photographer sooner or later.

One of the first weddings I booked was due to a photographer that only had one camera and it broke down the week of the wedding. Any good photographer will have an absolute minimum of two camera bodies, and preferably three or more. And I don’t mean one good camera and a cheap point-and-shoot as a backup. I mean good, sturdy cameras designed for wedding use.

I’ve heard numerous stories over the years from brides, who had a budget photographer with no decent backup gear, and sure enough, something broke and the bride ended up with very few photographs or very poor ones because the photographer didn’t have any backup gear, or cheap gear not up to the task. with the horror stories I’ve heard, I might be inclined to dig deeper and ask other couples who worked with the photographer I’m interested in what their experience was like.

It’s disappointing when I hear stories about how wedding photographers have let their clients down. So if you’re looking for a photographer to capture the most important day of your life, make sure to take the steps above and hopefully we’ll talk someday and you can tell me how thrilled you were with your experience.