December?! December is my favorite! - VSI Newsletter ⛄❄🎄🎅

December?! December is my favorite!
Welcome to the eighth edition of the VSI newsletter. Here is where you will find monthly tips + tricks for photography and design, links to blog posts that you may have missed, updates on our upcoming events, giveaways, as well as personal updates from Holly + Kristi + Paige. We hope you enjoy!

>>>DON'T MISS OUR UPCOMING SPECIALS AT THE END OF THE NEWSLETTER<<<

FALL IN LOVE WITH OUR NEW VIDEOGRAPHY COLLECTIONS!

VSI is excited to offer videography collections for the 2018 wedding season.
We will be adding a videography portion to the website soon! Contact Paige today to discuss your video needs and see our video projects!

It's December, that means lots and lots pictures of the kids doing all their fun holiday activities! Here are a few tips to get some great photos for yourself!

1. Get down on their level - When taking photos of your kids, it's tempting to stand up and shoot down at them. This can result in images that look cold and distant. Get down on the floor with them at eye level. Putting yourself physically at their level invites you into their world and makes photos much more personable.

2. Turn off the flash - If you have your camera in manual mode, you will probably notice that the flash is constantly going off. This creates washed out colors and unflattering shadows. If you put your camera in program mode, you can have better control of your ISO and get better shots in low light conditions. The higher your ISO is, the less light your camera needs to take a photo. If you set the ISO too high though, your photos can look grainy. Practice a few times so you not only know the limitations of your camera, but get comfortable not using a flash!

3. Shoot moments, not poses- It's easy to run around with your camera and yell 'hey, look here' and 'say cheese.' Next time, try being more discrete and capture the essence of what people are doing. Opening presents, playing a card game, sharing a drink can make for much more interesting photos than just a quick 'look at me and smile' photo.

4. Know when to put your camera down- I know, this article is about how to take better photos, right? But instead of taking 1000 photos of everyone opening presents, take a good handful then put the camera down and be present in the moment. Enjoy the holidays with your family, and you'll love looking back at all the memories you captured.

-Holly

I think with all of the business and work overload around the holidays we tend to tell crank things out and feel like we have lost our creative mojo in the process. Never fear! Here are 40 ways to get out of creative block! or you can simply use them to have a little fun and reset yourself! =) - Kristi

Holy smokes December is here, that means 2017 is almost gone. How in the world do the years keep flying past and I am staying the same age? A question I don't think I'll ever find the answer too. I thought since we are rounding out 2017 I would give you all a list of my most favorite things of 2017! Have a look, hope you can enjoy these as much as I have this year.

1. Since my eyeballs are in front of a camera 50% of the time I am always on the lookout for an eyeliner that doesn't smudge and by golly, I've found it! Stila 'stay all day waterproof eyeliner' is awesome. I also have allergies and this eyeliner doesn't bother me at all! https://www.stilacosmetics.com/products/stay-all-day-waterproof-liquid-eye-liner?color=Intense+Black+%28Jet+Black%29&via=560aaeae69702d72b500000f%2C560aaeae69702d72b5000011

2. Who doesn't love a good highlight on their cheekbones? e.l.f. shimmer highlighting powder is just the right amount of highlight without being too overpowering! https://www.elfcosmetics.com/p/high-definition-hightlighting-powder?rmatt=tsid:|cid:349350032|agid:22696177712|tid:pla-57655754340|crid:168353480361|nw:g|rnd:11917624433169860875|dvc:c|adp:1o4&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgZTRBRDmARIsAJvVWAvCyNcj9pwvD_2WxChk6_hL0kQHGKvRMRBz_ChvxStRL5TZix7SLfQaAj0BEALw_wcB

3. I love holiday scents! We always have candles and scents going here in the studio. My favorite holiday scent this year is 'Silver Bells.' Not too strong and just the right amount of Christmas! https://storefront.scentsy.us/shop/p/sb-sbl/silver-bells-scentsy-bar

4. It's no secret I love to read! The best book I read this year was The Broken Way by Ann Voskamp. Very thought provoking and profound, I recommend to everyone! https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Way-Daring-Path-Abundant/dp/B01IAIQ9Y4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1512417534&sr=8-1&keywords=the+broken+way

5. I love to make things easier on myself, especially this time of year when I'm pulled in 50 different directions! I love the InstaPot!!!!!! Cooks so much faster than a crockpot and has a million different uses! https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-Multi-Use-Programmable-Pressure/dp/B00FLYWNYQ/ref=zg_bs_home-garden_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5YQKBJFHG5WN0F5GYA1H

VISIT HOLLY'S PAGE

WELP, it's December, so I guess that means we need to get into the holiday spirit. The holidays are always a little two-fold for me. There is the nostalgic Hallmark movie dreamlike sentiment about Christmas time, but it is also very busy! Every year I try not to let the hustle and bustle get me down by enjoying some of the magical little things about this time of year. Whether it is buying hot chocolate or watching Elf for the 14th time, there is still a little magic to be had! The snowberry scent will always do this trick too. If you haven't checked that out, YOU NEED TO! I may or may not be a little obsessed.

This is the first Christmas in the glamper so of course, we had to put up a little tree and do some small decorations to make it magical. It will also be fun to see our Tman experience snow for the first real time. Having a small kiddo this time of year always brings back a little bit of that magical feeling you had when you were a kid. If you would like to see the glamper decorated up for Christmas, I will have a new Christmas post coming soon at redefinedrefuge.com =)

I hope you all have an amazing Christmas and stay happy and healthy as we approach the New Year. Since this newsletter is monthly, we'll see you on the other side of 2017! - Kristi

VISIT DESIGN + BRANDING PORTFOLIO

VISIT KRISTI'S PAGE

Welcome to winter! It’s time for reflection, celebration and lots and lots of food. The football season went out with a bang here in Gibson City as the GCMS Falcons brought home the Illinois 2A State Championship title! That was an absolute BLAST to shoot. Now I’ve got my eyes set on winter sports. I can’t wait to roll out some AWESOME additions to our sports offerings in January 2018.

Personally, the past few months have been a journey of finding where I fit in here in Gibson City, but parents, students, fellow cross-fitters, and other community members have embraced this new face in town! If you see me at a game or event, please say hello. =) I grew up in a small town, too!

The encroaching cold always sparks my spontaneity, and despite the hectic schedule, I’ve been making sure to get my travel bug out before it’s time for Netflix binges and fuzzy socks. What’s your favorite Netflix show? I need a new one now that Stranger Things is over!

Have a happy holiday season and we will see you in 2018! -Paige

VISIT PAIGE'S PAGE

SO MANY SPECIALS COMING UP AS PART OF OUR ANNUAL 5 WEEKS OF GIVING!

Starting mid-Nov we will have the following specials until the end of the year:

5 WEEKS of SAVINGS – there are 5 weeks until Christmas and we want to get our clients the BEST deals!

1. Christmas Cards (purchase 50 or more - get a free 8x10 print of the photo used)

2. Babies First Year (purchase a babies first year package - get $100 extra print credit)

3. Gift Cards (order $100 get $25 FREE - online orders only) EXPIRED

4. Second Order Sale (receive 25% off all second round print orders, excludes standouts and composites)

5. Boudoir (book your Jan 7th session - get 5 extra images in your album)

Here is a quick look at some of the new items in the DesignFoundry Etsy store!
www.etsy.com/shop/vsiDesignFoundry

Use the code above to receive 15% off all orders of $100 or more

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VIVID STUDIOS, INC.
312 N. Sangamon Ave. | Gibson City, Illinois 60936 | www.vsi.co | 1.217.784.1310

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