Gift Ideas and Specials

Christmas is right around the corner, and you're stumped to find the right gift. We can help!

Top of the list: a Studio Mark Emile Gift Certificate. Not only is it handsomely packaged and ready to put under the tree, but it is guaranteed to fit and be the right color. You simply can't go wrong. And to sweeten the deal even further, we are offering a chance for you to both give something AND get something. Any gift certificate purchase made by Christmas Eve will come with a bonus gift for you: your own gift certificate worth 50% of the gift certificate you purchased. The only disclaimer on the free gift certificate is that you need to use it by March 15th. That's it! So buy a gift certificate for your sister's family, and get one for your own family. No wonder they say it's better to give!

Note that you can purchase a session and prints, and we can write out the gift certificate to indicate the session and prints they are getting rather than a dollar amount if you like.

Next up: DSLR Camera classes!

Do you know someone who is getting a new camera for Christmas? Or maybe they already have the camera but lament the fact they don't really know how to use it. No matter- we can help. We will be starting up our beginner class for digital photography in the new year. You get the most enjoyment out of your camera if you know how to control it rather than press the button and hope something good happens. We give you the knowledge and confidence to operate the camera. It's a 6 week class, for $250.

And don't forget, we are offering FREE sessions for those sessions booked by Christmas Eve and held by March 15th. This limited time offer will not be extended so don't miss your chance to be photographed on our dime.

Thanks for Voting Us Best of Nashua!

So while we may not be ones to toot our own horn, apparently some of our clients are happy to do so! We were recently honored to have been selected by the readers of the Nashua Telegraph as the best photography studio of greater Nashua. The interesting thing here is that we didn't even know we'd been nominated, and there was no attempt to drum up votes at all. This is straight from you, our clients. So thank you so much! It's great to be appreciated.

To show the extent of our appreciation, we've decided to run some specials for you all.

Special #1: Free Sessions!

Book your family, baby, or senior session between now and Christmas Eve and it will be completely FREE! Your session fee, which is paid at booking, will be applied in full to your print purchase. There is a low, $250 minimum print purchase to qualify for this deal, and the actual session must be held by March 15th.

Special #2: 50% Gift Certificate Bonus

Purchase Studio Mark Emile gift certificate by Christmas Eve in ANY denomination and you'll receive an additional, bonus gift certificate for 50% of your purchase. The bonus gift certificate must be redeemed by March 15th, but there are no additional restrictions on the gift certificate that you purchase.

4th Annual Beach Portrait Special!

One of the most popular summer sessions we have is the beach session. Whether you are a high school senior, a family, or couple, we have sessions that will be enjoyable and fun, and provide you with some beautiful wall art! We've already been this year, and this is what we created:

Beach sessions are a substantial time commitment for us. We need to pack up all our stuff, drive for an hour+, do the session, repack all of our equipment and make the drive back to the studio. For this reason, we charge a little more for beach sessions than for your standard "on location" sort of session. Except during the one week each year when we head up to the beach for the week, and do sessions at a discount. Because we spend the week at the beach, we reduce our time commitment for any one session, and are happy to reflect this savings in the form of a lower session fee for our clients. This is the week to book your session if you want to save a little $!

This year's Beach Portrait Special will run from Sunday, August 2nd to Saturday August 8th. Yes, we will continue to offer beach sessions on other days at the regular price, but to obtain the special price you need to book a session within those dates.

We only shoot during the best times of day for lighting, which include first thing in the morning and late afternoon/evening. There are only so many sessions available, so it is important that you book your session while there are still slots available. Don't wait, or you'll have to pay full price! Call today and tell us you want the beach portrait special, and we'll get you in the schedule.

Graduation Photos

For the class of 2015, senior year has come and gone. Graduation is mostly memories and a few thank yous left to write. And college is only weeks away. If you came to Studio Mark Emile for your senior portraits last summer or fall, there is one thing left to do: swing by the Studio with your cap and gown for one good graduation photo. It's included in the package your parents purchased. It's super quick and easy. Call to secure your appointment, and you will be in and out in 5 minutes. And you'll have a nice 5x7 of yourself that looks like these. Something worth having. It's a small part of how we add value at Studio Mark Emile.

If, perchance, you did NOT come to Studio Mark Emile for your senior portraits, you can STILL have a nice graduation photo. Call the Studio at 603 886-0957 and we'll set you right up!

Of Portraits and Self-Esteem

As parents, we all want to raise strong, healthy, and ultimately self-sufficient children. Many parents realize that one of the greatest gifts we can give out children is a healthy self-esteem. While many of us consider things NOT to do (belittling, browbeating, etc), far fewer expend much energy thinking about positive things one can do to build a child's self-esteem. Research over recent decades has identified a simple way to enhance a child's self-esteem: the creation and display of family portraits.

The link between photography and children's self-esteem was established in the mid-seventies, in the Murfreesboro Study. In a nutshell, a group of fourth graders with low self-esteem (as perceived by their teachers) were given polaroid cameras with which they took photos of each other in a variety of assigned poses and expressing a multitude of emotions. They worked with these photos over the course of 5 weeks, scrapbooking the prints on a weekly basis. At the end of the 5 week period, the teachers reported an increase in behaviors indicative of positive self-esteem of 37% versus a control group, whose increase was just 10%. Ammerman, M. S. and Fryrear, J. L. (1975), Photographic enhancement of children’s self-esteem. Psychol. Schs., 12: 319–325. doi: 10.1002/1520-6807(197507)12:33.0.CO;2-X

Ok, so there's a link between self-esteem and photography. Great. How does that relate to family portraits, and why? To answer this, I'm going to reference the blog post that spurred this one: http://www.glowimagery.com/family-photo-benefits-childrens-self-esteem/ by Chris Cummins, a photographer out of Kansas City, MO. Chris did all of the legwork on this, so he deserves to be cited. He interviewed experts in PhotoTherapy, and this is the upshot of what they had to say:

• The family unit is important, and a family portrait provides visual reassurance to the child of belonging and being valued.
• A child sees himself as part of a unique family, with its own relationships and stories. This is reinforced by a photograph of the family, which captures a moment in time and provides a visual sense of the family in his place in it.
• Printed family portraits, which require no power source or user action to view are more effective than photos on a cell phone or computer in providing positive feedback to the child.
• Displaying portraits prominently in the home sends a message that the family values the portrait, and hence the family, and also provides opportunities to talk about the family.
• Older children can participate more fully in the portrait creation process, offering their own thoughts on location or clothing, which can enhance these effects.

There's a lot more to the original blog post, which I encourage you to read if you find this interesting. My point is this: a family portrait is more than just a pretty picture; it has a positive psychological impact on your children. It's not something to "get around to one of these days," it's important and if you haven't done a family portrait in the last few years you really should set up an appointment. Show your children how much they matter.

5 Reasons to Choose Studio Mark Emile for your Senior Portraits

Quality

It's not just a buzzword at Studio Mark Emile; it encompasses everything we do. From the first contact to the final delivery, every aspect of the experience is centered around quality. We offer a wide variety of sessions each of which can be tailored to your specific wants and needs. Prints may be purchased in packages or a la carte, and we can customize your purchase to be exactly what you are looking for. All of our products are created in conjunction with the top vendors in the industry, providing you with the security of knowing your investment will bring pleasure for many years.

Variety

We offer great variety both in terms of session choices as well as products available. Whether you want a mini studio session or an extended beach session, we have just the right session to provide you with a memorable experience as well as a wide variety of images to choose from. On the product side, we have albums, framed collages, image gallery blocks, metal prints and so much more. The range of available products is limited only by imagination and budget, and each is individually crafted to be a piece of art designed to grace your home.

Individuality

Your senior portraits should be as individual as you are. That's why we craft our sessions to reflect each individual. Our goal is to capture you, in this moment, as you are. In a very few short years your life will change profoundly. You'll be on your own. Jobs, mortgages, families are all in a much shorter horizon than you think. We want you to look at these photographs and be transported back in time to this milestone moment in your life.

Value

It is not our desire to be the cheapest photography studio around; it is our mission to provide the most value for your hard earned dollars. Senior portraits are an investment. We understand that for many families, this investment is a sacrifice. That is why we pack so much value into our portrait packages. You can be assured that every penny is well spent.

Complimentary Cap and Gown Photos

As parents ourselves, we well remember the cap and gown photos we bought of our children at their graduation. They were horrible, and expensive. If you come to Studio Mark Emile for your senior portraits, you don't have to waste money on these photos. Every package we sell comes with a complimentary 5x7 of you in your cap and gown. This is a photo you'll want to have- well lit, good color, clear and sharp- not a blurry snapshot mess of a photograph.

Our Guarantee

We guarantee that you will love your senior portraits, or we'll refund your money. If we can't create portraits that you are enthusiastic about, we don't get paid, period. There is no risk on your part.

Pick up the phone. Call us right now to secure your session. (603) 886-0957

Mother's Day Special

Your mother is special, so we are running a Mother's Day Special!

You get a studio session and an 8x10 print for only $99. This is a $90 savings!

You can use this to give mom an 8x10 of you, or you and your siblings, or your entire family. You can include mom in the session. It's up to you and your imagination. Mom is guaranteed to love her gift this year. There's no worrying about getting the right color or size, fighting the crowds at the mall, or anything.

If you want to give this as a gift certificate, you can call ahead and we'll have it all filled out, in a nicely embossed box with a bow. It will look like this:

Or you can actually show up and do a session, and present her with a print, like so:

Either way, we have solved your annual dilemma of what to get mom for Mothers Day.Give your mom something she will enjoy the rest of her life: the gift of yourself.

Time to Apply to be a Spokesmodel!

It's that time of year again. Studio Mark Emile is looking for students from the class of 2014 to serve as Senior Spokesmodels. This is an opportunity to get the best senior portraits, and earn studio credit, cash, and prizes just for showing off your pictures to your friends.

 The Spokesmodel program at Studio Mark Emile is limited to a select number of students at each school in the area. Interested students must fill out an application and submit it to be considered.

There are many benefits to being a senior spokesmodel of Studio Mark Emile. Firstly, you pay no session fees. While there is a financial commitment needed to become a spokesmodel,  ALL of the money goes directly to the purchase of your package and products. You get extensive sessions both in the studio and on location, so you get the widest variety of images to choose from of anyone. And you get your images first.

The program is about students representing the studio to their peers and offering a discount to their friends and acquaintances on the best senior portraits in the area. In turn, the spokesmodels get discounts, earn studio credit, cash and prizes for their referrals. It's a win-win situation. The top prize is an iPad, so we reward our senior representatives.

 If this sounds interesting, you can learn more and fill out an application or contact the studio.

Positive Reinforcement

It's always nice to know that people are happy with our work for them. Our mission is to create portraits which families will enjoy and pass down from generation to generation. We love getting feedback so we know how we're doing.

So we'd like to share a note we received this week from a client whose extended family we photographed last summer in Maine. We don't mind traveling to create portraits your family will love!

It reads:

Dear Mark and Betsy,
Thank you for your recent note and gifts. We have been meaning to send you a note to let you know how much we are enjoying the photos you took for our family. The large photo is hung in the living room and framed locally in a driftwood-like frame. It is gorgeous. What a wonderful gift from our kids for our 50th Wedding Anniversary. You are so talented and captured all 16 of us. Thanks so much.

 Sincerely,
Bob & Caryl Donovan

P.S. Many friends also enjoyed the Christmas cards too!

This is the wonderful family whose portrait we were privileged to have been selected to create:

Call the studio today to schedule your own portrait consultation or session. Your family deserves this, too!

Eminence Award Finalist!

It is with a combination of pride and humility that we are able to announce our that we are a finalist for Small Business of the Year in the 11th annual Nashua Chamber of Commerce Eminence Awards! Our nomination, a second for us, came as a complete surprise. We are thrilled to have our work recognized.

We have been nominated along with two other excellent companies: Nashua stalwart Alec's Shoe Store and relative newcomer The Silver Knights baseball team. It is a thrill to be in such fine company.

The event will be held next Friday, March 7th, at Sky Meadow. Register for the event

Photography Classes: a Great Gift Idea

As DSLRs are the hot Christmas gift idea, photography is into more hands than ever before. Soon after the joy of opening the box fades, the realization that having a shiny new camera does not automatically mean producing better photographs sinks in. This is where a little training makes all of the difference in the world. Studio Mark Emile is here to help. To help maximize the joy of these gifts, we are happy to announce our "Digital Photography for Beginners" class, starting up shortly after Christmas. What timing!

Our course of study will be 6 weeks of training for the modest price of $250. Classes will be held from mid-January to the end of February on either a Monday or Tuesday evening. This is a perfect Christmas gift for that special person on your shopping list that has (or will be getting) a DSLR and wants to learn how to use it.

We will be covering a wide range of topics from image capture to final output. This hands on course will teach you about how to operate your camera for the best results, how to make the best image captures for various conditions, what to do with the images once you've captured them, and how to prepare them for final output.

To take this course, you should have your own DSLR and at least one lens. A laptop with a version of Photoshop or Photoshop Elements is a plus as we will be going over image manipulations in class.

We are taking reservations now at the studio for this class NOW. Gift certificates are also available. Class size will be limited, so sufficient attention can be given to each student's needs.

Topics include: The Camera, and what all the buttons and settings are for Exposure, and how it is achieved Elements of Successful Photographs You've Made Your Capture: Now What? Photoshop: What the tools are for and how to use them Preparing Your Photos to Display

Photos with Santa!

It's that time of year, time for a visit from the North Pole! That's right, Santa is coming to Studio Mark Emile! Santa will be here at the studio on Saturday, November 30th from 5:00-7:30pm. As this will be during Nashua's annual Winter Holiday Stroll, we will be taking walk-ins only. Santa will return to the studio on Saturday, December 14th, from 1-3pm, and for this appearance we WILL be accepting reservations (as well as walk-ins.) So if you want to avoid the lines, you can take your chances on November 30th or make a reservation for December 14th. Photos with Santa start at only $20. For those that are going to ask, we photograph children, and/or pets, and/or adults. So if you want pictures with Santa, "Yes, we do that." See you at the Studio!