Our lab is having a sale, and so are we. Order a 20"x24" (or larger) wall portrait in Traditional Print or Canvas Gallery Wrap and save 15% on your order. You can order more than one wall portrait as well and combine the savings.

Offer is valid for new sessions and previous sessions. All orders must be placed by 8pm on Monday, July 5. Please call (423) 521-0742 or email for more information or to place your order.

 

If you've been needing new family portraits, this could be the perfect opportunity. On Saturday, June 26, we will be offering outdoor mini-sessions at Heritage Park in East Brainerd for only $1. That's right, for one day only we're knocking $99 off our regular session fee. If you've been thinking about trying us out, this is the time to do it.

This is the perfect time of year for outdoor portraits, and Heritage Park is a great outdoor location.

We will be offering 20 minute sessions starting at 10 am. No additional purchase is required (although you'll probably want to). The sessions are open to kids of any age and their family. Dogs, cats and other pets are also welcome. In the event that it rains, we will be rescheduling for the following Saturday, July 3.

Available sessions are limited, so if you're interested call (423) 521-0742 soon to reserve your spot.

While our primary focus is on children (no pun intended), we also love photographing four-legged children. Pets are very much a part of our lives, and portraits are a great way to capture their unique personalities.

For the month of June, pet sessions are only $50, a $50 savings. If you have a four-legged child, give us a call at (423) 521-0742 to schedule a complimentary consultation.

 

We have a very awesome special coming up on June 26. We'll be posting details next week. If you've been wanting a new portrait of your child or family, it's going to be a great opportunity.

In a recent annual visit to my doctor, I realized some of the ways that our photography business is similar to a medical practice.

The most obvious similarity was when I signed in. I had made the appointment a few weeks ago, and they already knew why I was there. In my chart was a record of my medical history and notes about each time I had been to see the doctor. When I was taken back to see the doctor, I was asked questions and checked out, and all changes were noted in my chart. As a full-service photography firm, we keep information about all of our clients. At a glance, I know how long it's been since we've photographed your family, how old your children are, and the types of photo sessions we've done. We gather and record all of this information for the same reason as the doctor: because we are forming a long-term relationship, and this information helps us better serve your needs.

The other interesting similarity was that the time that I spent with the doctor was uninterrupted. His attention was focused solely on me and my needs. In this fast-paced world of email and smartphones, it is rare to have that privilege of one on one time. We always schedule plenty of time for each of our sessions so that we can devote the entire time to focusing our full attention on the needs of our client. We do not bring our personal lives including our cell phones to the session.

Of course, people put off having their portraits made for the same reasons they avoid going to the doctor. They know that they're going to have to wait half an hour or more to see the doctor, the news probably won't be any good, and it will be expensive. Our business policies address all three of these concerns.

• First, we will never keep you waiting. Allowing plenty of time between sessions means that you will never have to wait while we finish with our previous session. No waiting in line to be photographed, no waiting in line to order, no waiting weeks and weeks to receive your finished portraits. We realize that your time is valuable, and we will not waste it.
• Second, we take our time during the session. If you are a little camera shy, we will give you time to warm up to the camera. We'll make sure your hair and makeup look good and pose you to make you look great. Indoors or outdoors, we can make the whole experience a lot of fun.
• Third, we offer a wide range of products to meet a variety of budgets. You don't have to spend a fortune to have great portraits. Our goal is to help you capture those lifetime memories.

If you would like to learn more about the stellar service that we offer, please take a moment to call us at (423) 521-0742 to schedule a complimentary consultation.

The company that provides our beautiful Canvas Gallery Wraps is having a sale this month and we're passing the savings on to you. Order a Canvas Gallery Wrap in any size between now and April 30 and get 25% off the price. This offer does not apply to Canvas Clusters.

This special offer applies to new sessions as well as previous sessions. Call (423) 521-0742 or email for more information or to place your order.

Want to have fun with your kids, and get a great gift for Mothers' Day?



Join us on Saturday, April 24, at the home of Erica Eubank in Hixson for a fun mini-session and get a great deal on wonderful images of mother (or grandmother) and child.

The $100 session fee includes a 20 minute session your child (or children) and a custom framed 5x10 desk collage featuring three images from your session. Additional prints will be available as well.

There are a limited number of sessions available, so please call or email to schedule a time for your mini-session.

We are very pleased to have been invited to be the official photographers at the MCR Foundation's Love Your Body, a Celebration of Healthy Body Image & Positive Self Esteem event on Thursday night at Loose Cannon Gallery in Chattanooga. The MCR Foundation is dedicated to raising awareness of eating disorders in teens. The event will feature a screening of the award-winning film, America the Beautiful. Tickets are still available by calling the MCR Foundation at (423) 622-2666 or by visiting their website at www.mcrfoundation.com.

We have filled all the available appointments for the Easter Mini Sessions on Saturday, March 6. I'm very grateful to everyone who has scheduled an appointment for their Easter portraits. We're very excited about the event, and look forward to seeing all of you.

If you would like to add your name to our waiting list, please send an email to tony@tonymcdanielphoto.com. If there's enough interest, we're planning to add a second day of sessions. If there's a particular day or location that would be best, please let us know in the email.

Do you have the cutest baby in the world? Want a chance to win some money?

Schedule an appointment with us from now until June 21st, and your child's portrait will also be entered into the Miller's Professional Imaging Baby and Child Contest. A range of prizes will be awarded from $500 – $5,000 in cash!

Portrait sessions are limited so please call today to reserve your child's appointment.

Contest Rules
• Children, infant to age twelve, are eligible.
• Images must be taken between January 1st and June 21st, 2010.

If you would like to see the winners from last year, click here.

We're going to be adding a whole range of new portrait services in the coming year. While our primary focus will still be on creating great portraits of children and families, we've decided to branch out into some new and exciting territory.



The first new addition will be a focus on lifestyle portraits. These will be on location portraits, similar to our current portrait sessions. Most of our current portrait sessions strive to create a studio environment in the clients home or outdoors. In a lifestyle session, the big difference is that we'll be using the client's home or yard as the background and focusing on capturing more casual, unposed images. We've done these before with great results, and I look forward to broadening our style.



The next addition is going to be wedding photography. This isn't necessarily new, but it's been on the back burner for the past year as we worked on growing our business in children's portrait photography. We're currently booking weddings for 2010 (and beyond). If you're looking for a professional, experience wedding photographer who doesn't charge an arm and a leg, then you should definitely check us out. We've already got a couple of weddings on the calendar for this year, so don't wait too long to get in touch.




We're also going to be offering an entirely new type of session for ladies only. We'll be offering an intimate portrait session to create some beautiful, sexy images to share with someone special. Since this is the first time we've offered this type of service, we'll be offering a great discount for the first few clients who give us a chance to get our feet wet. Leah will be taking the lead on these sessions, so please contact her if you're interested.

Since these are new pursuits, we'll be offering significant discounts for the first few client who let us experiment on them. If any of these options sound appealing, please give us a call or email for more information.

It's going to be an exciting new year at Tony McDaniel Photography.

It's been a great year for us, despite some challenges. We're taking some time to look back and take stock of what we did well and not so well in the past year. Every session is an opportunity for us to learn and grow — as creative individuals and as a business.

We've got a lot of great ideas for new services that we will be offering in the coming year. This weekend, I'm going to be working on revamping our website to offer more information and updated photos. I will also be posting more information about wedding photography (including a discount for weddings that pay their deposit by the end of January) and a special offer for a great Valentine's Day present.

We hope that all of our readers, clients, friends and family have a very happy and safe New Years Eve. We look forward to seeing you all next year.

We would like to take this time to wish everyone a very merry Christmas! We hope that all of our friends, family and clients are enjoying this special time of year with their loved ones.

We will be closed on December 24th and 25th to spend time with our friends and families. Emails and phone calls will be returned on December 26th.

Merry Christmas, and God bless!

We're working on our specials for the month of December. We're planning to have a couple of great offers for all the last minute shoppers.

If you haven't already, you may want to sign up for our mailing list or RSS feed. Or become a fan at Facebook.

Just a reminder to anyone who is interested in doing holiday portraits to send out as greeting cards, time is running short. To get your cards in the mail in time, you should schedule your session before Thanksgiving. We still have a few openings in the next couple of weeks.

[UPDATE] We're going to be continuing the October special through November. So for each set of greeting cards purchased, you'll receive another set free. That's 50 custom designed greeting cards for the price of 25 though the end of November.

If you've been thinking about it, now is the time. Don't miss out on the opportunity to send custom designed cards to your friends and family.

Call (423) 521-0742 or email for more information, or to schedule your session.

The holidays are coming and it's a great time for family portraits! In order to accomodate as many families as possible we're offering two different options for holiday portraits.

First, you can schedule a regular portrait session for the standard $50 session fee. This option gives you as much time as we need to create your portraits and a wide selection of poses and groupings. We will be offering a 15% discount on wall portraits, and buy one, get one free on greeting cards.

Secondly, we're offering a no-frills mini-session on Sunday, October 18th, from noon to 5 p.m. at Heritage Park in East Brainerd. We will be scheduling thirty minute sessions for holiday portraits and offering collections of prints and cards starting at $75.

If you've been thinking about sending out custom holiday cards with your family's portrait, now is the time to do it. Call (423) 521-0742 or email for more information, or to schedule your session or mini-session. Act fast, available sessions are limited.

We are very pleased to offer a special discount to employees of McKee Foods, Inc. If you work for McKee, and would like more information, please call (423) 521-0742 or email us.

If you are part of a large company and would like to offer discounted portraits for your employees, please contact us. We would love to work with you.

We are very pleased to be involved in an upcoming auction at George R. Stuart Elementary School in Cleveland, TN. I feel fortunate to have attended Stuart for seven years in the 1980s. It's a great school, and I'm thrilled to be able to help them raise money. We will be offering a complimentary session and a $50 gift card in the auction.



The auction is being organized by the P.T.O. at Stuart. It will be held on Friday, October 9. If you are interested on donating or bidding, please contact Jenny King, or one of the other P.T.O. members listed here.

It's back to school time and that means shopping for school supplies and new clothes. This is a great time to show off that new wardrobe with back to school portraits. During the month of August, we will be providing two sheets of wallets to each child to share with their friends when school starts back.

Disclaimers: The kids don't have to actually be school age to get the free wallets. The free wallets are per child, not per family, so a family with four children will get a total of eight sheets of wallets (two per child). Each set of wallets (two sheets) must be the same image. This offer applies only to new sessions.

We wanted to share our July special with everyone. If you book a session in the month of July, we will be offering a $50 print credit towards your order of $100 or more. This offer only applies to new sessions, not to reorders from previous sessions. The credit may not be applied to the session fee,only to product orders. It can be combined with other available discounts, such as the 10% discount when you are enrolled in our Babies First Year plan, or if you have signed up for our email newsletter, you can also apply that $50 credit towards an upcoming session.

If you are looking to have a beautiful portrait to display in your home, we would love to help you.

For the month of May, I've decided to lower the $50 session fee to only $10. This offer applies to any portrait session, regardless of location. Please note that there are a limited number of sessions available, so hurry and book now.

What a fantastic way to show the women in your life how wonderful they are - with a fine art canvas. This template was created just for this Mother’s Day, and can’t be found anywhere else! They are waterproof, archival, come ready to hang, and will last for years and years to come.

This beautiful canvas comes in two sizes and colors - 12x12 and 20x20, and in Pink or Sage. Orders must be placed before May 1 to ensure timely delivery. You can choose an image from a previous session, or schedule a new session.

The quote reads, “Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn, Hundreds of bees in the purple clover, Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn, but only one Mother the whole world over. - George Cooper”

We're going to be having our first ever portrait party tomorrow afternoon in Ringgold, Georgia. Our friend and client, Erica Dowis will be hosting it. The theme is "Mommy & Me" and we will be making some very cute, casual portraits of mommy and child(ren). We have three openings left for this great opportunity.

Since this our first time doing one of these, we'll be working out the details, but the plan right now is to offer these shorter sessions with a discounted session fee of $25. We'll have a special framed desk print available for purchase at $75. Of course, our usual guarantee is still in effect and there's no obligation to purchase anything.

Each mini-session will last about 15 minutes. After the sessions are finished, we'll prepare the images and display them on location, so you can place your order before you leave.

In order to keep everyone from having to wait, we will be scheduling the photography in 15 minute increments starting at 3:30 p.m. If you'd like to attend, please email me today for additional information.

Also, if you are a Baby's First Year client, your discount will apply. Gift certificates may also be used.

If you're searching for the perfect last-minute gift idea for your friends or family, consider a gift certificate from Tony McDaniel Photography. The holidays are a perfect time to give a gift that will last for generations.

Our gift certificates are redeemable for any product or service we provide, including portrait sessions, wall portraits, gift portraits, custom greeting cards, and portrait books.

As an additional bonus, you'll receive a $25 credit for every $100 you spend on gift certificates. Now you can give and receive.

In recognition of the current economic situation, I've decided to make some changes to the way I do business.

I believe very strongly in the importance of portrait photography, particularly for young children. They grow up so fast, and often our photographs are the only way that we can really remember them. I hate to think that people are skipping having portraits made because the economy is bad, and prices are too high. The portraits will last for generations, but only if they are made in the first place.

In order to produce the highest quality in my work, I made a conscious decision to limit the number of sessions that I schedule. In order to make that a sustainable business model, it was necessary to price my products and services at a higher point. This was a solid strategy when the economy was in good shape and people had stable employment. Now, however, I'm hearing a lot of people who want to have portraits made, but can't afford to.

In order to encourage people to invest in their future memories, I've decided to radically restructure my pricing, to make it more affordable for my clients. If you've wanted to have me photograph your family in the past, but thought you couldn't afford me, then think again. Session fees will be reduced to $50, and print prices will start at $30 for gift portraits. This represents a 40-50% discount on all of our products and services.

With this change in pricing, there will be no change in the quality of the portraits or in the experience. My sessions do not have time limits. Every portrait is carefully retouched and printed using only archival processes to create a piece of art that will last for generations.

Once the economy picks back up, I will reevaluate my pricing. In the meantime, this is my way of helping people to get what they need.

My friend, Kyle Holden, owns a great furniture store in Chattanooga. He sells a wide variety of barstools and pub tables. They aren't cheap, but quality never is. He sells high quality furniture that is customized to what his clients need.

I'm very pleased to offer a complimentary portrait session to anyone who makes a purchase of $800 or more at Chattanooga Barstools and More between now and the end of the year. It's my way of saying "Thanks."

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep is a non-profit organization that provides portrait photography to parents who are experiencing the loss of a baby. Participating photographers provide the session and images at no charge. I am very pleased to be working with this organization. They are currently holding their Annual Fund Drive.



With the Month of October being recognized as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, The Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation holds its Annual Fund Drive for six weeks starting in mid-September and ending in October.

President Ronald Reagan enacted Proclamation 5890 in October of 1988 to recognize that each year, approximately a million pregnancies in the United States alone end in miscarriage, stillbirth, or the death of a newborn child. Reagan stated, "A national observance offers us the opportunity to increase our understanding of the great tragedy involved in the deaths of unborn or newborn babies. It also enables us to consider how, as individuals and communities, we can meet the needs of bereaved parents and family members..." To read the full Proclamation signed by Reagan, CLICK HERE.

If you are in a place to make even a small contribution to NILMDTS, please know that doing so will continue to allow the organization to provide improved resources, training, communication, and other tools necessary in support of our amazing contingent of professional photographers who provide the gift of free remembrance portraiture to families in need.

Our next project we are working on is an online, interactive webinar version of our Formal NILMDTS Training taught by Co-Founder Sandy Puc' allowing anyone in any country with access to a computer to complete the course online. Donations help make programs like this a reality!




Your Donations Support the Organization in Many Ways

* By supporting the continued education of our volunteer photographers
* By allowing us to further our outreach to hospitals and hospices across the world
* By offsetting the costs associated with outreach efforts including Formal NILMDTS Traingin Seminars
* By supporting the Family Forum which creates a productive and supportive haven for healing
* By supporting the Photographers' Forum which provides a helpful environment for our member photographers to express their feelings and receive advice on the various issues that they face in this noble work
* By supporting the day to day operations of our Headquarters Offices

Wow! It's been busy lately. Since my last post back in June, we decided to move back to Chattanooga, TN. There were a lot of reasons behind the decision, and we were sorry to leave our friends and family in Idaho, but at the same time, we were very glad to see our friends and family in Tennessee.

From the time we made the decision in June, until now, life has been a blur of activity. I photographed several family portraits sessions as well as three weddings. At the same time, we were trying to get everything packed up and ready to move.

Now that the move is mostly finished (although we're still awaiting the arrival of the movers with our furniture), and we're getting settled here in Tennessee, I'm going to try to be more consistent with updating this blog. I've got quite a backlog to work through, so expect several updates in the next couple of days.

I'm pleased to announce that I will have a booth at the Eagle Saturday Market during the month of May. Beginning this Saturday, May 3, I will be at Heritage Park in downtown Eagle each Saturday. There will be a variety of portraits on display. I'll also be giving away a free session with a print credit each week. This will be a great opportunity for anyone who's interested in family portraits or wedding photography to meet me and check out samples of my work.

Our children grow up so fast that it's hard to keep up. One minute they are tiny little babies, and the next they're independent toddlers.

In order to capture these fleeting moments of childhood, we are pleased to introduce our Baby's First Year package. This package includes a portrait session for each of the milestones in the first year. These sessions are typically scheduled at 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and one year. At the end of the year, you'll receive a custom DVD slideshow with portraits from all of the sessions as well as a custom printed coffee table book. In addition, you'll receive a 10% discount on all portrait purchases from the first year sessions.

The benefits of this program don't end with your child's first birthday. By joining now, you'll receive discounts on session fees and portrait products until your child is six years old.

For more information, please call (208) 863-4071.

After a great deal of consideration, I've decided to start offering wedding photography in the Boise area. I'm very excited about this new way to help families create lasting memories.

In order to get started and build up a range of sample images, I'm going to be photographing four weddings this spring and summer at a steeply discounted rate. I already have two brides who are interested and these opportunities are offered on a first come, first served basis. If you know someone who's planning to get married this summer, have them contact me soon.

I'll be adding more information on the main site in the coming weeks.

I'm going to be displaying some of my work at the new children's consignment store in Eagle. The store is called Switcharooz and features an upscale approach to children's resale apparel. They are located next to the Eagle Public Library at 125 Stierman Way in downtown Eagle.

In conjunction with their grand opening this week, I'm sponsoring a drawing with four prizes featuring portrait sessions and print credit. Check the display in the store for more info.

Starting today, some of my work is on display at U.S. Bank in Eagle, ID. I really appreciate the bank's generosity in allowing this display. The work will be up through Friday, April 4.

Mother’s Day is a special time to let her know how much she means.

For a limited time, we are offering a special Mother’s Day session including a framed desk size collage for a special price of $175. The collage features your child holding letters to spell out “Mommy.”

We will provide the session at your home and deliver the finished portrait in time for Mother’s Day.

Call today for more information.
(208) 863-4071
Hurry, available sessions are limited.
Offer ends April 30, 2008.

Welcome to Tony McDaniel Photography. I've just added a blog to my site. In addition to posting the occasional news item, I will be featuring current promotions and special offers.

Please check back often, or use the RSS Feed to keep up to date.