Josh Solar Photo is No More...

Don't worry, we aren't going anywhere, it's still Jenny and me, but we are now Solar Photographers!!!!!!!

We've been working on this for quite some time now, and felt that the Josh part made it like it was MY business. It's always been OUR business, so, now we have a super duper, fun, exciting, colorful new website, blog, and brand that reflects US. Thanks for following us on this great and wonderful adventure. We hope you'll continue with us onto this next step!

These 4 sentences are nowhere near enough to thank Michelle, from A Girl Named Fred, who worked super hard on the design of our new brand. She was with us from the beginning of the process and probably as I type this still working hard on finishing all our other projects. She never complained when I messed up the stuff she had put so much time in, she just fixed it :) So, if you need some design work done, you will not, I repeat, WILL NOT, find a more wonderful person to work with than Michelle.

So, head on over to the BRAND SPANKIN' new look at Solar Photographers (and let us know what you think)!!!!

Thanks everyone!

We had a blast tonight at our Open House...and if you couldn't make it, I'm sorry...here's just a little sneak peak of the fun you missed out on. Don't worry, there will be PLENTY more of where this came from soon enough :)

Don't Forget...

Thanks to Kelley for this amazing piece of artwork :)

We look forward to seeing old friends and meeting some new ones tomorrow night!

Address:
104 E 5th St
Kansas City, MO 64106

Call Josh at (816) 588-9232 if you need help with directions (don't call Jenny)

2 Polls + a few shots of my kiddos = Really Random Post

Ok, so Kelley and I talked about a wild idea (not spilling the beans yet), but we are curious about something, so vote away!

PollPub.com Vote

Do you have a Nike+iPod running system?

Yes No Not yet, but I'd totally get one for the right reasons

View Results

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And, Jenny & I are curious, about the readers of our little blog :)

PollPub.com Vote

Who are you?

Client Friend or Family Photog Random Dude/Dudette Other

View Results

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Here's a few pics from around the Solar's world lately (sorry, no bubbles yet, that is going to be its own massive post one of these days :)

Open House & Shoot Day 2!

Well, the day is finally here...the day that our studio is FINALLY ready! So check out the little ad and come on down on March 27 to see for yourself! Anyone and everyone is welcome!

And, here's the details for Shootday 2...We had so much fun with the first one, that I'm giddy like a schoolboy for number 2 :)

Saturday with the Solars

So if you're a regular stalker of this blog, you've surely seen the hundreds of photos Josh has posted on here of our kiddos doing what they do best, being crazy little kids :). In the last year, we've had some interest from other parents who want to learn how to take better photos of their own kids, so they can document everyday life in between our portrait sessions. So, if you're one of those parents, listen up, here are the details...

Saturday with the Solars:

What it is: A 2 hour class designed to teach you how to take better photos of your kids. We'll teach you about good light, composition, and shooting on manual mode. We'll demonstrate how we take photos of our own kids doing normal stuff. We'll finish up with a question and answer session.

What it isn't: This is not a portrait workshop. We're not going to cover anything business-related. We're not going to teach you how to take photos of other people's kids. If you're interested in portrait photography, we may offer a photographer's workshop in the future. This is all about learning how to document your family throughout the year.

Requirements: You MUST have an SLR camera. You won't be able to apply what we teach you to your own photos if you just have a point-and-shoot.

Investment: $200 per person. We'll only take 5 people so our kids don't get overwhelmed :). Payment in full is required to reserve your space.

Date & Time: We are open to suggestion... Here are a few possibilities...
March 14th 9 a.m.
March 21st 4 p.m.
April 4th 4 p.m.

Other notes: This class is for parents only, so leave your little ones with your spouse or grandma :). If you are interested, but can't make it to the first class we offer, please send us an email anyway so we know if we should offer another class in the future.

And, here are a few captures from around the Solar household over the last few weeks to give you an idea of the stuff we'll go over :)

Shoot Day!

Recently I've been getting a TON of e-mails from aspiring photographers asking for advice, shooting tips, etc. And I've always made it a point to help everyone out that I possibly can, but it's getting to be a lot harder for me to find the time to answer everyone's questions. Therefore, Kelley and I decided to offer a shoot day, actually, afternoon this time :)

This is going to be a super low-key, but super fun afternoon of shooting, learning, and experimenting. We'll provide a few models and show you some of our favorite techniques, including some off-camera lighting and a general Q&A.

The details....

When : Wed, Feb 25 @ 3:00 (it's my birthday!!) We'll just shoot till we're worn out!

Where : We'll be meeting at our (not completely finished - don't judge ;-) studio in the City Market, and then wandering the area.

Who : Anyone who wants to learn! That being said, a basic knowledge of apertures, shutter speeds, ISO's, etc. is strongly recommended. We won't be starting at the very beginning this time.

How much : $50/person for this first time

Email Ashley (ashley@kelley-photo.com) if you're interested in joining us! We're thinking of offering more of these mini-shops in the future if we get a good response, so be sure and email even if you can't come to this one. Hope to see you there!

I know you've been waiting...

We're SO excited! Today's the day for our big announcement, so here it is... we just signed a lease on an AMAZING studio space down in City Market! And that's only half the announcement! We're also excited because we are going to share the space with a good friend of ours who just happens to also be an amazing photographer... Kelley! Katie from Mink Artistry will also be sharing the space with us. Now, we have a few things to discuss, just so everyone is on the same page...

1. What does this mean for us?
It means that Josh will get out of the house a couple days a week to actually work instead of napping while the kids tear up the house (just kidding, honey... you do a great job taking care of the babies :). Right now, as most of you know, we do all of our work at night after the kids are in bed. If he's able to get a little work done now and then during the day, we might actually get a date night once in awhile (imagine that!). As of now, I am planning on being in the studio 1-2 days a week. We will be able to schedule consultations and ordering sessions at the studio on days that I am there. Otherwise, we will continue business as usual from our home office.

2. What does this mean for our clients?
We will still continue our business as Josh Solar Photo and Kelley will continue her business as Kelley Photo & Design. We are NOT joining forces. Occasionally, we may collaborate on a project together. We will continue to refer clients to each other as we have always done. But most importantly, we will work to create an environment where we can inspire each other and grow creatively.

We are really excited about this (if you can't tell from all the teaser posts yesterday :). We'll be posting some 'Before' shots of the studio sometime soon, so stay tuned!

Wait for it...

Patience is a virtue...

Lia says, "Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....what's goin' down tomorrow?"

Ummmm...yeah

Apparently nobody can keep their mouth shut around here. Kelley, are you sure Sam is okay with all of this? Seriously, I'm a little worried that he's gonna take it all the wrong way...and he's pretty big...and I'm a HUGE wuss. I didn't think he was gonna find out yet...and I'm REALLY worried about what's gonna happen the next time I see him...

All I know is this...something big, no wait, cool, no wait, awesome-super-dupertastic-ish, will be announced tomorrow...

Do it for Max...

Do it for Ava

Do it for Lia

Just do it...be here or here TOMORROW-ish or be square :)

I am Josh Solar and I approve this message! YES WE CAN!!!

Big news coming soon...

Okay, so this post violates Josh's Dont-Post-Without-A-Picture rule, but I figured I had better make the announcement that we will be making an announcement (how's that for vague?) tomorrow. I was hoping to make you guys wait a little bit longer to find out the big news, but a certain friend who shall remain nameless (link here) can't stand to keep a secret any longer and I don't want her to have all the fun :)

Layna: Deal or No Deal

Okay, so this story starts way back about a year ago. We were heading out to dinner with Layna and Joel. Mid-conversation, Layna says, 'Okay, so I had this dream that I'm supposed to be on Deal or No Deal, so I wrote a script and now I just need someone to film the audition tape. Do you guys do video too?' No way! But we do happen to know the coolest videographers in town :).

Enter Drew & Selena (Van Horn Video). They made the coolest audition tape EVER (even though the Deal or No Deal people rated your audition tape as the number 3 video of all time, we all know it's really the best one!) So, I know you want to see the video... click here.

Yep, so now that you've seen the video, you can totally understand why Layna got picked to be on Deal or No Deal. We headed out last night to the Levee for the watch party. We've never watched Deal or No Deal before, but it was SO EXCITING!! They showed a couple of photos that we took at Layna and Joel's wedding and a clip from the audition video Drew and Selena put together. And, even though we were bummed that Layna didn't win the million dollars, we were still super excited that she won $27,000!! Congrats Layna and Joel :)

And we can now say: "As seen on NBC's Deal or No Deal" because, although very briefly, some of our images were flashed on national tv. I'll say it again, we have the coolest friends/clients in the whole world :)

Of course Josh brought his camera along...

I hate Hotmail...

Or maybe Hotmail hates me... every email I try to send to anyone with a hotmail account comes back undeliverable... this is the message I am getting...

Mail rejected by Windows Live Hotmail for policy reasons. A block has been
placed against your IP address because we have received complaints
concerning mail coming from that IP address.

I know someone out there in blogland can help me fix this problem... anyone?

In the meantime, if you are emailing me from a hotmail account, please know I can't respond! Send me an email from a different account. Thanks!

Last chance for doggie mini-sessions

Sunday is the day for our doggie mini-sessions and there are still a few slots open. Give me a call at (816) 522-8010 or drop me an email ASAP if you want to reserve a time. Click here for more details....

Show us some Love!!

Wow, all I can say is wow! We just found out that one of our amazing clients nominated us for Best Wedding Photographer on Kansas City's A-List. So, if you think we deserve it, please help us win this baby and vote for us here!

It just takes a second to register, and you WILL NOT get any spam.

It's amazing to both Jenny and I at how far our business has come in such a short time and we're so honored that we're in the running for such a prestigious title alongside some of the most amazing photographers in the area.

Since I can't post without a picture, here's one of Lia this morning looking at me like I'm crazy, and be on the lookout sometime Tuesday for pics of our San Francisco weekend wedding.

Doggie Mini Session Day

Yep, you read it right... we're having a day just for doggie photo mini-sessions. I know there are a TON of you guys out there who are dying to let Josh take pictures of your dog. Here's your chance to get your dog's pictures taken AND help out a great cause... the mini-session fee is $30 with a minimum donation of $20 to Wayside Waifs. We'll also be donating 10% of the proceeds from print orders to Wayside Waifs. Email me if you have questions or want more information. We expect to sell out all of the spaces quickly, so if you are interested, contact us ASAP!

Midwest Kids Fest Drawing Winner...

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and chatted with us at our booth yesterday at the Midwest Kids Fest. The winner of our free portrait session is... Stacy Allen!

It's Fall Family Portrait Time!

Yep, it's hotter than you-know-what outside, but it's almost that time of year again for fall family portraits. In case you don't get our newsletter (which, by the way, there is a button to subscribe on the right side of this blog, so go sign up now!), I figured I had better post this here as well.

Last fall we were insanely busy, and we're expecting to book even more sessions this year! We will begin scheduling sessions for September and October on August 15th. If you would like to have first priority, please email me asap to get on the list. I will book sessions from the list first and then it will be first come, first served. Please be aware that due to high demand, all portrait session fees will be due upon scheduling the session. Session fees may be paid by check or credit card.

New portrait pricing has been posted to our website and will go into effect for all portrait sessions taking place after August 31st.

And, Josh says I can't post a blog without a photo, so here's a couple pics of Lia from last night...

KC Wedding Scene

Hey all, I just wanted to let everyone know about a sweet, brand spankin' new wedding planning resource for brides in the area. It's called KC Wedding Scene, and it's got tons and tons of great info for anyone planning a wedding. There is a vendor directory, current articles on weddings, a bride's blog and a vendor's blog. I'll be posting a couple times a month on the vendor blog about lots of random wedding stuff, so check there often.

Also, if any of my current brides want to get involved with the bride's blog, let me know. They are looking for brides (and grooms) who want to share anything about planning their wedding. I think it's a great idea to give couples and vendors a place to share info and interact with one another. So, what are you waiting for, head on over to read my first post on the vendor blog!

Website Update

The website is back up and running again, so thanks for your patience :) Check back Sunday night for pics from Hilary & Jonathan's Wedding out in Lawrence.