The Summer set will be up from July until the end of September 2011. The set features a sand box wth real sand, mini pier, ocean mural and lots of beach props.  We’ve also purchased new fun headbands and other accessories so that kids can style it up for their photos – all of our props are available to clients during their session.

 Sessions are just $50 and include: a 15 minute session on the set, 5×7 print and online viewing gallery.

 Sessions on the Summer Beach set are for kids ages 3 months to 12 years, and there is one session fee per child. 

Here’s a photo of the set:

A little background on the set:

This is our most elaborate, ambitious set ever!  The background is 8 feet square, and the entire set is 8 feet long and about 5 feet deep – this set takes up an entire room at the studio! Set building is Erika’s passion and just about every Monday when the studio is closed you will find her wandering the isles of The Home Depot with a very engrossed expression on her face as she tries to figure out exactly how to build the new idea in her mind.  Erika’s father had a construction company when she was growing up, and afterschool she’d go with him to different job sites and help out.  Her dad is a typical Eastern European “I can fix and build everything” so from drilling the holes for a door hinge, building a fence, tiling, to the five-year project her dad took on to build their dream home from scratch, by himself…. she’s seen and done a whole lot of handywork.  So, all the sets at the studio are either built 100% by Erika or by a carpenter who helps her out with the big stuff (Erika is known to be discovered yelling in another room for help because she’s tried to lift or do something beyond her weight…. she laments everyday that she doesn’t have the physical strength of a big tough man, because she hates to ask for help!) Erika’s philosophy is to build realistic, walk-on sets and to use authentic props.  No other photography studio in all of the U.S. (and yes, Erika has searched the world-wide web for both inspiration and competitors only to find out she’s the only one) who builds the elaborate sets and has the authentic props that we have at the studio.  We don’t buy vintage trunks for our sets: we rummage garage sales and thrift stores to find them, Erika trashes the interior of her SUV every October when she drives out to Farm Country to pick up the bales of Hay for the Fall set, we distress our own wood floors instead of buying cheesy fake photos of wood floors like most photographers do. We are very proud of the images we create here at the studio and feel that it is out duty to create authentic, creative, unique images – and those sets are the product of a whole lot of Erika’s love, sweat and dreams.  Thank you to all our clients who see our vision and want to be a part of it.