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Okay - Admit it.
You
Really DO WANT These Photographs To Look Fantastic, Don't You?
From
a graduating senior's point of view, nothing could be more
disappointing than not liking the way he or she looks in that
super-important portrait that all his or her friends and relatives
will see!
On this web page, we are going to reveal some powerful secrets to
helping seniors look great in their portraits!
Think
about this a moment... more people will see your senior portrait
than ANY OTHER PHOTOGRAPH you ever have created! So lets be
sure you look great.
“Kit really wanted Anne
to create her senior portraits and now I can see why. From the
first time we met with Anne she was amazing. She treated us like
family. Kit felt so at ease. We love our portraits!!”
Diana mother of Kit Bartke, LHS class of 2009
Research has proven the two major things most important to
seniors about their senior portraits are:
1.)
That they look really good in the portrait
2.) They also want
the portrait to have some kind of "artistic quality" to it. They
want the photographs to look as good as they do in them. They want
a three dimensional feeling to the image, and just the right
lighting. They want their personality to come through. The
portrait has what we call "SPARKLE" to it.
By "Sparkle"
we mean that when the senior's friends and family look at this
portrait, they say, "Wow, you look like a million bucks! This
photo of you is really great!"
“I was
really excited to have Anne take my senior portraits. I had heard
great things about Ludwig's and wanted something incredible. Anne
was amazing and did a really great job on my senior portraits. She
understood who I am and what was important to me. What a cool
experience.”
Blake Maddox LHS Class of 2008
Why?
Because we love photographing seniors! It's what we do with
a passion! You want to look fantastic in these photographs, and we
are going to help you achieve that!
Here's How To Avoid The 11 Huge Mistakes That 9 Out Of 10 Seniors
Make With Their Senior Portrait!
“Anne
really clicked with Kiley and I absolutely love the
portraits she created of her. She made a special effort to find
out what was important to Kiley and really had great suggestions
on her clothing. When Anne came over to our house to see Kiley’s
cloths she really knew what Kiley would look beautiful in. Her
enthusiasm and attention to detail made all the difference in the
world.”
Diane mother of Kiley Dodson, LHS class of 2009
Let's
go through the 11 huge mistakes that 90% of all seniors and their
parents make when it comes to their senior portraits.
Obviously, you should contact us right away about whether or not
we have any openings left to create your senior portrait.
Most of our appointment times are full, but hopefully we still
have some openings to do your senior portraits.
But that's
not the point of this website. The point of this website is
to give you 11 major mistakes that seniors make in reference to
their senior portraits. If you don't decide to work with us,
that's fine. We still want you to be aware of these major
mistakes, so you don't make them yourself when planning your
portrait!
"Can you imagine any other
photographer willing to spend four and a half hours on two
separate days? Anne really captured Desire's personality and
beauty in her senior portraits. We are extremely pleased with the
care she took to make Desire's portraits the very finest."
Denise Rames mother of
Desire Wilson LHS, 2006
Mistake #1 Ruins More Senior Portraits Than Anything!
Mistake #1 is wearing the wrong clothes! This is very normal.
Even if the senior were a professional model, he or she still
wouldn't know what to wear that would help him or her look the
very best in a still photo. The "Art Director" would say
what to wear! The "model" would just show up, and do what
he's told! The hair person does the hair. The Art Director plans
everything and tells the subject what to do next.
You see,
people don't know what really photographs well. They just don't
know. Well, we know. That's our job. And we love it.
And we're really good at helping you select the best clothing for
your photographs - clothing that will help you look your very
best.
For example, the wrong clothing can make up to a 44 pound
difference in the way you look in your portrait!
Now,
most high school seniors want to look as thin as possible in their
portraits. Clothing makes a HUGE difference in this area, so let's
make sure your clothing is really perfect!
“Anne really impressed me. She took the time to find out what
Chris liked and met with us before we even scheduled Chris’s
portrait. The other photographers just wanted to book us on the
phone. She took Chris to some great locations, They were really
different and really Chris. If you want great senior portraits
and an amazing experience you should definitely call Anne.”
Jonnie mother of Chris Jenkins, class of 2008
Mistake #2 Is A HUGE Destroyer Of Senior Portraits!
Mistake #2 is making mistakes with hair. Many seniors goof
this up in several ways. But also, most photographers goof
this up, too, because they don't know how to photograph hair
properly.
This is such a big point! As you know, your
hair is a huge part of your appearance. It can make or break
how you look. We've all had "bad hair days" and if your
photographer doesn't know what he or she is doing, your
photographs will look like a permanent "bad hair" day.
One
of the things that separates our photography from that of most of
the other photographers in the area is that we pay as much
attention to the light that is lighting your hair, as we do to the
lighting that is illuminating your face. And they are
completely different lights!
"I was so excited to
share my senior portraits with my friends and family. Anne did an
astounding job! I really loved the whole experience. I never
dreamed I could have my portraits done out at my families place.
Anne was great, jumping fences and trekking through tall grass,
Thank you."
Kendahl
Avery, class of 2008
You see, if you study Hollywood Portraits of the stars, you begin
to see how careful the photographers are about lighting the hair.
Well, We've studied the best professional Hollywood photo masters
- such as George Hurrell, who is responsible for many of the
finest portraits ever created of the Hollywood Stars. And we
are going to use these very same techniques to create your senior
portraits. We want your hair to look really terrific.
For example, many seniors who go to other photographers often
complain that, if they have dark hair, their hair seems to
disappear into the background. Or, if they have light hair, their
hair has no "life" or detail in the photograph. Or if their hair
is brown, that it doesn't look as great as they wanted it to. It's
not just how they combed or prepared it, it's how it's lit in the
photograph, too!
Well, that's not ever going to happen to
a portrait created by us, because we are going to take the time
and the care in the lighting of your hair so it looks absolutely
perfect. It's as if one of these Hollywood Master Photographers
just finished photographing Freddie Prinze Jr. or Jennifer Love
Hewitt, and now is going to do your portrait, and we are going to
put as much care into lighting you as they would!
"The time
and patience Anne gave to get just the right look was amazing. It
meant a lot that she took photographs where it meant something to
us. You could tell she really cared about capturing all that makes
Meghan so wonderful
Kelly mother of Meghan
Haigler, class of 2008
Mistake #3 - An Amazing Secret Revealed!
Okay,
we have to talk about blemishes. If you (or your son or daughter)
has some (and who doesn't) you're probably worried about whether
they will show in this portrait.
The HUGE mistake
that almost EVERY SENIOR makes is that they don't ask the
photographer about retouching before having the photos taken.
We know, every senior is embarrassed about blemishes, and doesn't
want to talk about it to ANYONE - especially a person they just
met.
But this portrait is really important, and you
want to look REALLY GREAT in it, so we need to talk about this
blemish thing.
“Ludwig’s was worth it. I like my senior pictures a lot. Anne
didn’t rush me and it was great that I could bring Misty, m y dog,
along. Everything was really relaxed and Anne treated me very
personally.”
Bain Weisbeck, LHS class of 2006
The secret: Be absolutely positively sure that your
photographer is going to carefully and painstakingly RETOUCH all
your portraits - and do it to perfection! In our opinion, a
portrait that is not professionally retouched is NOT A PORTRAIT!
It's just a "picture" that no one cares enough about to properly
finish and produce to the best quality that money can buy!
We guess that's another reason that so many seniors and their
parents hire us to create their senior portraits. We
sincerely care about how you or your son or daughter will look,
and we aren't going to embarrass you in any way. We are
going to do everything in our power to help you look "like a
million bucks" in these portraits, so all your friends are really
impressed! (And "a million bucks" means THERE WILL BE NO
BLEMISHES ON THE FINISHED PORTRAITS!)
You want a
photographer who is going to take good care of you. Someone
whose only goal is to help seniors look absolutely perfect in
their portraits! And that's what we are all about. Taking
the time, and putting forth the effort to spare no expense in
helping you look really attractive -better than you've ever
looked. We want you to love your senior photographs.
“Every time I walk by the
portrait of Kylie that hangs above our fireplace it takes my
breath away. On the day Anne photographed Kylie she went out of
her way to really highlight all the different sides of who Kylie
really is. She offered so many locations, outfits etc. She really
went above and beyond our expectations.”
Kim, mother of Kylie
Negich, class of 2008
Mistake #4 Is A "Silent Killer" Of Senior Portraits!
Most
seniors don't understand (or don't want to admit) that they get
nervous in front of a camera. And they don't know what to do
about it.
You see, there are over 30 muscles in your face.
And if you're tense, these muscles tense up and you won't like the
photographs. You won't know why you don't like them. You just
won't.
One of the keys to our success in
photography, is that we will not photograph any senior, without
having met them in advance. What's the purpose of this? Yes, we're
going to talk about clothing, and all the other things. But
the main purpose of this meeting is to give you the chance to meet
us, get to know us, and see just how well we are going to take
care of you through this. You will see the studio. We'll give you
a tour. We'll spend time with you so you begin to feel
comfortable and confident about how you can trust us and take our
advice. We will show you some of our senior portraits so you
can feel confident about the quality of our work and how great
your portraits will look.
“Brook
was so excited to have Anne take her senior photographs. We had
heard so many good things about Ludwig's and after meeting with
Anne I could tell she was excited as we were. Anne did an
beautiful job, from Vedauwoo to the Territorial Park, Anne took
the time to take Brooke to places that really fit her
personality.”
Julie, Mother
of Brooke Howard, class of 2008
We can't stress this enough. You see, most photographers
just are not willing to do this. Why? Because it takes
time. All they want to do is take as many portraits as
possible so they can make the most profit. They want to do
your photograph as if they were building a car. They want to put
you on the assembly line, and run you through,
click-click-click-turn this way - click, etc....Next person
please.
We will not do that to you. We're going to
meet you ahead of time, and we're going to treat this as if it
were the most important photo of your life - because it is.
This is a piece of art, not just any photograph.
See what a
huge difference this will make in how you feel on the day of your
photography? You'll feel great. You'll have met us.
You'll have seen the studio. You'll know that what you're
wearing is perfect. You'll know that your hair is going to
look perfect. You'll know that no blemishes will show!
You'll be confident, and excited - not nervous and apprehensive.
You'll have a great time!
“Scott’s portraits are great. Initially when we came to visit you
he was a little quite and reserved. It was wonderful the day you
took his senior pictures to see him having such a great time.
Words can’t express the love and appreciation I have for what you
created.”
Debbie, Mother of Scott
Tomlinson, class of 2008
Mistake #5 Will Ruin Your Senior Portrait
If You Aren't Aware
Of It!
Most
seniors don't realize that it takes longer than 10 minutes to
create outstanding senior portraits.
One of the
unique things that separate us from all the other photographers in
the area is that we take all the time that is necessary to create
portraits that you will be proud of. Photographs that your friends
and relatives will really like.
Mistake #6 Is Critically Important To
Your Appearance In Your
Portrait!
Most
seniors don't realize that sometimes, "today is just not the day"
for their senior portrait to be done. The hair just isn't
right today. Or maybe you didn't sleep well last night.
Perhaps you've had too many stresses at school or home. Maybe you
just had a fight with your boyfriend or girlfriend, etc.
We honestly understand that the day we set up for your
photography may end up not being the best day, for whatever
reason. We have absolutely no problem, whatsoever, with you
calling us and rescheduling the session, if "today isn't the day."
We WANT YOU TO DO THAT!
One of the things that is
really unique about us is how easy and fun we are to work with.
So, for example, let's say you end up deciding to have us create
your senior portraits, and we set up a time for your session for
Tuesday, the 15th at 3:30 pm. Well, let's say you wake up that
Tuesday, and just "don't feel right." Plus, your hair isn't
cooperating that morning, and you're really tired.
Well,
you just call us. You say, "Hi, today just isn't the day.
I'm really sorry." And we will immediately understand and
know exactly what you mean. We will reschedule the session
for you - no problem.
We are terribly busy, and booked up,
BUT, WE DON'T TREAT YOU LIKE A FACTORY. We understand.
We won't make you feel guilty. Why? Because we've been doing
this for over 30 years, and we completely understand how you
feel! It's no problem at all.
We understand this is a
once-in-a-life-time thing.
Now, We know what you are thinking. You're thinking, "Give me a
break. This is just a photo."
Yes,
but you deserve to look great, and it's your SENIOR PORTRAIT, and
it's the only one you're ever going to have. All the people who
matter to you are going to see this portrait! So let's make darn
sure it's fantastic!
It's
not the film we use. It's not the camera we use. It's not
the backgrounds we use. (Although we use the best of
everything!) The thing that separates us from everyone else is how
sincerely we want to help you look absolutely perfect - stunning -
fantastic - better than ever!
Mistake #7 Is A Little Technical, But
Extremely Important To
You!
Seniors (and an awful lot of photographers) don't realize how
important light is in photography. The wrong light, and the wrong
direction of light can add up to 27 pounds to you on film, and
also, bring out your worst features!
It's really a matter
of life or death in portraiture. The light is the "paint
brush" with which we "paint" your senior portrait. It's very
important!
Now, one of the things that separate our
photography from all the other photographers in the area is that
we have studied light from the true Masters of fine portraiture.
We understand that there is only ONE type and direction of light
that will help you look your VERY BEST. Only one. And this
is different for every person! Again, that's another reason
we must meet you in advance, so we can determine the very BEST
LIGHT for you and have it ready to use at your session day and
time.
You see, there are five major highlight areas on your face. And
they must be PERFECTLY lighted, or you won't look your best!
We
don't want to get too technical here, but if you're still reading
this, you realize how important this portrait is, and you
sincerely want to look your best. So... the "Transition
Zone" of light, between the highlights and the shadows is what
"paints" the contours of your face, and brings out your
personality and "SPARKLE." So we want to be sure that this
"Transition Zone" is perfect. We could go on and on, but you get
the idea.
Light is equally important for outdoor senior
portraits! It must be absolutely PERFECT if we are to create a
portrait of you which truly "Sparkles". So, the type of
outdoor portraits you like will then determine the perfect TIME OF
DAY to create the portraits.
Mistake #8 Determines A Great Portrait Or A Terrible One!
Nine
out of ten seniors don't realize how important posing is. The most
important word when it comes to posing is "NATURAL." You
absolutely don't want to look stiff and fake! One of the most
common comments we hear from our clients is how "natural" the
portraits look. Our seniors love how good they look, but they also
love how "natural" they appear in the images. We will work
together to help you look confident and comfortable.
This Is Extremely Important To You! Don't Miss This:
Almost all the photographers in our state tend to touch their
clients and push them around way too much when posing them. The
posing is very important, and should not be done by sticking you
in the middle of your back if you aren't sitting up straight
enough! But, that's what many photographers do. Why? Because
they're in a hurry. They have another 20 seniors to
photograph before the day is over, and they can't take the time to
"guide" you. They just stick their hand into your back, grab you
by the shoulders, and get you to sit up straight. Not only does
this make you really uncomfortable, but it also makes you look
stiff!
That's why we call it "guiding". We will guide
you with words. We don't grab you or poke you. This is so
important to helping you feel comfortable!
However,
we are really picky. We will be very careful, and attentive
to detail. We may pick a little at your hair if something is out
of place. We straighten your collar or sleeves. We
straighten your shirt if it has a funny wrinkle in it. Don't
worry about a thing! We'll make sure you look "like a million
bucks"!
Strange, But True...And You'll Be Very Glad...
The key thing with posing is that you look natural.
The seniors we photograph tell us all the time how great their
photographs look from a point of view of being natural. They
say things like this: "It's like I just sat down naturally,
by myself! That's exactly how I sit! I can't believe it!
How'd you know that?" That's what "guiding" will do for your
portraits, too!
We're talking about where your arm is in
the portrait. And if your hand is in the portrait, does it look
natural?
Many seniors and their parents don't realize
this when they're calling around to different photographers. They
have no idea how important this is.. Look at the photographs
done by any photographer you're considering selecting. Do
they look natural, or do they look "posed" or stiff?
If
you'll look at the photographs we've included throughout this
website, you'll see how natural and comfortable they look.
Read the comments the people have made about their senior
portraits. Hopefully that will help you.
Mistake #9 Is Of Enormous Importance!
Don't Miss This
One!
This
mistake has ruined so many senior portraits! It's the
mistake of not choosing a photographer who GUARANTEES THAT YOU
WILL BE REALLY HAPPY - and who will give you all your money back,
if you aren't!
Here's our guarantee: "You will be
THRILLED (not just 'satisfied') with your portraits, or we will do
whatever is necessary for you to be thrilled, or we will return
every penny of your money. No hassles and no hard feelings either.
We want you to be THRILLED with your senior portraits, and will
spare no effort or expense to see to it that you are! We
absolutely guarantee it!"
You see, only a photographer who
really believes in their product and service is going to be
willing to have such a powerful guarantee. So their
guarantee is your first indication of whether or not you even want
to work with him or her. We can't stress this enough.
Ask about the guarantee. Listen to their reaction. That will
tell you if you want to trust your senior portraits to that
photographer.
Mistake #10 Is So Obvious, And Yet Most
Seniors Or Their
Parents Don't Do It!
What's this mistake? Not asking lots of questions when you're
talking with photographers. Now, if you're still reading
this, you certainly have the questions to ask, right?
Remember, you are the customer - you have all the rights!
You have the right to ask the tough questions, before you make any
decisions!
Ask them first about their guarantee, and see
how they respond.
Then you ask them if they will
meet with you in person, at no charge, to discuss the clothing,
etc, and give you a tour.
Then ask them if they will
guarantee that they'll remove any and all blemishes you might have
at the time of the photography.
Then ask them about how
they light the hair perfectly? Ask them if they know who George
Hurrell was, and if they understand his techniques.
Then ask them how much time they are going to spend with you.
Ask if they do outdoor portraits, as well as indoor portraits.
Ask them if they are understanding if you call on the day of your
session to reschedule because "Today isn't the day."
Ask
them if they understand the importance of the correct lighting of
the "Five Major Highlight Areas." Ask them if they know what
a "Transition Zone" is.
Ask them if their posing is
natural, or more "stiff."
See how much you have learned so
far? Pretty amazing, when you think about it.
Mistake #11 Can Ruin Everything!
What's this mistake? It's choosing the WRONG PHOTOGRAPHER FOR YOUR
SENIOR PORTRAIT. Everything depends on that one decision.
Now that you know these 11 major mistakes that most seniors or
parents make - you won't make those mistakes! You'll be able to
chose the right photographer for yourself, based on all this new
found information you now have!
Now, we may not be the
right photographer for you. But the fact that you're still reading
this means we probably are. Because we care about all the things
we've talked about to you here. But the only way you'll
really know for sure if we are right for you is to call us.
So What Should You Do Right Now?
Now,
while it's fresh in your mind, pick up the phone, and call us so
we can talk on the phone. No charge. No obligation. No sales
pitch.
 We're
not that kind of studio.
CLICK HERE
to find the number to call. You can ask us any questions you
may have. We'll see if there are any session times still
remaining for seniors. If there are, and if you'd like to, we can
set up a time for you to come in. We can show you
around the studio, and talk a bit. There's still no charge or
obligation. You do not need to have made a decision to hire us,
before you can come in and talk with us!
We are
here to help you in any way we can. We're not here to
pressure you into doing anything you don't want to do. The
decisions are completely up to you.
However, we do want to
urge you to act immediately! Our schedule is almost completely
full at this time we are updating this site. Very few senior
session times remain! Why? Because we have such a
great reputation from our past seniors. They tell all their
friends, and then they all call us, and our book just completely
fills up.
Because we spend so much time with each one of the seniors we
photograph, we can't photograph as many seniors as other
photographers who have more of a "factory" arrangement.
If
anything we have said here sounded the least bit interesting to
you,
CALL NOW! DO NOT WAIT EVEN ONE DAY ON THIS!
CLICK HERE
right now to get the number to call.
We Have A Very Special Offer For You...FREE!
(But ONLY if
you're one of the first 30 people to call us!)
As
long as you are one of the first 30 people to call us - just to
chat - we will make you a FANTASTIC OFFER! You can save 50%
off the creation of your senior portraits (or those of your son or
daughter)! But you'll need to act quickly!
Call
right away. We can't wait to talk to you about your senior
portraits!
CLICK
HERE.
Sincerely,
Bill Loyer
Professional
Senior Photographer
Anne Brande
Professional Senior Photographer
PS. One last thing. Having your senior portrait taken is
such a personal thing, that you want to be sure you select a
photographer who is not only really driven to help you look
fantastic, but who you (or your son or daughter) also like and
trust. That's why we urge you to read the comments from some
of the other seniors we've photographed, and then call us and talk
on the phone. This will give you an immediate feeling as to the
type of people we are, so you can decide now, while we hopefully
still have some session times available, whether or not you'd like
to at least come in and chat.
CLICK HERE
to call right now. We will enjoy hearing from you! |
