Category: news

  • Ch-Ch-Changes

    Pardon my urge to make small-talk about the weather, but I can hardly believe it’s in the 60s this week after all of that snow we had last month. Spring is almost here! Change is in the air, I can feel it. And speaking of change (corny segue?), you might notice I happened to sneak in a few changes to the blog this week. Let me know what you think! (As a side note for anyone who is interested in the technical details, I updated my version of WordPress, and then my old template didn’t work that well anymore, so it was time for a new template.) One of my favorite little features is the Facebook tab up there in the left-hand corner – it’s a quick way to get to our Facebook page!

    But the real purpose of this post is to show you another mini-project. In keeping with the “changes” theme, I am currently working on a makeover for my home office. Just a new coat of paint in a different color, and some new furniture for added function. If it all turns out well, I’ll show you some before-and-after photos! Anyway, part of the makeover has included finding some artwork to hang on the walls. I’m in no way an art collector so I’m not talking about fancypants pieces, I’m just talking about fun framed art to add little bits of visual interest to the walls. I have a chocolate brown and orange-y colors theme in mind for the room, so when I found this print on etsy, I was thrilled. It’s even more adorable in person. And in searching for other fun prints in the perfect colors, I was inspired to make something on my own. I created this little modern heart print with the date of my wedding anniversary (please ignore the wall color – that’s going to change):

    It’s sort of another framed date project, right? If you’re interested in making this or something similar, here’s what I did: I opened a new file in Photoshop in the size of my frame opening. (This is a RIBBA frame from IKEA, and the opening is 4.75 inches square.) Next I used a cute function of Photoshop that I rarely use called the Custom Shape Tool to create a heart shape in the punchy orange color. Then I added a text layer with our initials in white and centered it on top of the heart, and then added another text layer of the date in orange and positioned it in the corner. I printed the file, put it in the frame, and that’s that! Super easy, super cheap, and now Chris and I have no excuse for forgetting our anniversary. You could use other shapes to commemorate other occasions, or maybe you’ll be inspired to come up with another framed date idea. Let me know if you do!

  • Facebook and Cheese Crackers

    Susan Solo Photography is now on Facebook! We have our own shiny new page out there. I’m currently in the process of getting photos uploaded from past weddings and portrait sessions, so the page is slowly starting to buzz with activity. Stop by and check it out, and if you’re a fan of what we do, please feel free to become a fan on the Facebook page – it makes us feel super warm and fuzzy inside. šŸ™‚

    And as a completely random bit of fun, Chris and I were grocery shopping last weekend and were suddenly curious about the difference between Cheese Nips and Cheese-Its, and we decided to do a taste test comparison. I mean, how can they have two crackers on the market that look exactly the same? Yes, things are that exciting around here on Sundays!


    Neither of us eat either brand of cheese crackers on a regular basis, so we feel that our test was unbiased and fair. We determined that the Cheese Nips seem to have more cheese flavor, and are lighter in texture. They’re 2 grams of fat less per serving, but have considerably more sodium than Cheese-Its. The conclusive results: we probably won’t buy either cracker again because Chris doesn’t really eat crackers, and I am more of a Goldfish kind of girl. Do you have a preference? Weigh-in on the cheese cracker debate!

    As a side note, sometimes I ask Chris about things that I am about to post on my blog. I said, “Is the cracker thing stupid or funny?” and he declared it was funny, so blame him if this is just too far out there for you! Don’t worry, I have Coelle and Corey’s engagement photos coming up this weekend, so we will return to your regularly scheduled photo blog shortly.

  • Portrait Sessions: Announcement

    Attention all of you gorgeous families and adorable couples! The rate for a lifestyle portrait session with me just increased a bit to my new rate of $350. BUT…since I didn’t make an official announcement ahead of time, I’m offering the old rate ($250) if you book now through the end of August. The promotion runs until August 31, 2008, but your appointment doesn’t necessarily have to occur this month. Space is quite limited for the remainder of the summer and through the fall, so please contact me soon to get on my calendar!

    Your portrait session will be held in the location of your choice – at a park/playground, hanging out at your home, or any spot where you like to spend time together. Even something like mini-golf or a picnic can make a fun lifestyle portrait session. The session fee can also be applied towards small events such as birthday parties. The session includes a privateĀ online proofing gallery for viewing and sharing images with friends and family, a high-resolution disc of your top ten favorite images, and a $50 print credit. Add-ons such as beautiful custom-designed keepsake albums, ready-to-hang canvas gallery wraps, professional print enlargements, and your complete image collection on disc are also available.

    This is one of only two SSP promotions that I’ll be offering this year. The other one will be posted very soon, so stay tuned!

  • The Newest Blog

    Well, it turns out that Blogger is a teeny bit more difficult (for me) toĀ get my blogĀ the way I want it to look, so I’ve switched over to WordPress hosted on my own domain. So this is the new blog, now and forevermore! Okay, maybe not forever, but for a while. I’m still tweaking, but IĀ kind of dig the look and feel of this one. The coolest thing is that I was able to slurp a few posts from my old blog that are photography-related and combine them with the newest blog.

    Ā What do you think?

  • New Cards

    I’ve ordered new business cards and they are on the way! The design is a Solo kids effort – my graphic designer brother designed the front, and I designed the back:

    Nice and simple. Let me know what you think!