As I sit down to write this post, I can honestly say that I have no idea where to begin … 2009 was a great and horrible year for many different reasons. With 2010 already here, we have the chance to refresh ourselves and continue moving forward and making a difference with those we come in contact with!
For those who thought that we dropped off the face of the earth, this post is to let you know that we haven’t! Actually, we have been extremely busy. Our last major event for 2009 was the Toys For Tots Toy Drive – which worked out perfectly. We received so many incredible compliments on the event that we are looking to expand it next year to multiple locations! When that was all said and done, we took some time away from work and focused on the upcoming holiday season.
As the New Year rolled in, Loretta and I decided to hit the ground with both feet running! The first two weeks in January had us traveling from Mystic CT for the Mystic5 convention to Nashville TN for the annual Imaging USA convention. In each place, we met with some of the best of the best in the world of photography, forged new relationships and learned new techniques to improve what we do. By the time we came back home, our heads were about to explode, we were out of notebook paper and we were excited to start the new year off right!
In the midst of everything, I had also been working on designing a new website for our portrait photography. While the old design did well, we have been working hard on separating our portrait and sports photography into two unique identities. We launched the sports website in the fall of 2009 and scheduled this one for January 2010. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to get it done before we started our travels …
So, after a little bit of waiting, we are proud to announce the launch of the new Wanamaker Photography website! It’s a clean design focused around the images and our blog. Over the next few days, we’ll be updating all of the galleries with more images as well …
Going forward in 2010, we will be working on new ideas and launching new products. New promotions and specials will be posted in our blog and sent out by email to all of our newsletter subscribers – so be sure to sign up or download the RSS feed! You can also follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@ChrisWanamaker or @LWolff)!
Yesterday was the big day for our Toys For Tots Toy Drive at Franklin Sussex Automall in New Jersey … and I don’t think it could have gone any better!
We began setting up for this event Friday night – getting the set put together, lights dialed in, lines roped off and the on-site printing computers and printers hooked up. It was a lot of equipment and decorations to carry around – but it was all for a good cause!
As Saturday morning rolled around, the threat of 1-4 inches of snow was in the air. At 11am, when Santa and Mrs. Clause pulled up in their new Dodge Challenger, the snow had just started to fall but the line of children waiting for Santa was long!
By 3pm, as the line full of children began to wind down, we had collected over $1,000 worth of toys and more than $350 in monetary donations for the incredible Toys For Tots organization. We all enjoyed seeing the looks on the children’s faces when they got to meet Santa and the fact that we were able to help out so many others this holiday season who might have otherwise gone without!
We would like to thank everyone who came out to support our event!
Toys For Tots was an important charity to my Dad and I feel obligated to carry the torch after his passing this year. So, on December 5th, we’ll be holding a Pictures With Santa Toys For Tots drive at Franklin Sussex Automall from 11AM until 3PM.
All you have to do is bring a new unwrapped toy valued at $10 or more and we’ll take your photo with Santa in our winter wonderland. When you are done, stay and enjoy the games, crafts and food available all day long! Each donation will also provide you with a raffle ticket for a chance to win an iPod and other great prizes!
The brainchild of celebrity photographer Jeremy Cowart, Help-Portrait is a movement of photographers, coming together in every major city, to use their photography skills to give back to the community. On December 12th, photographers around the world will be grabbing their cameras, finding people in need, and taking their picture. When the prints are ready, they get delivered.
This video is some of the behind-the-scenes work that Jeremy and a handful of fellow photographers have been doing in preparation for the main event. For more information, be sure to check out their website at http://www.help-portrait.com/
I wanted to post something to let everyone know that I am very, very sorry for not posting much lately! We have been super busy gearing up for the fall season and I have been working on updating the look of our website. In just a few short weeks, we will be unveiling our brand new Wanamaker Photography website as well as a Senior Photography website. Subscribe to our RSS feed, add us as a friend on FaceBook or stop back in the beginning of September to check out the new look!
Working with Loretta and Chris was a dream. Neither of us love being photographed, but still had a blast with our engagement and wedding photos. When commenting on our photos, most guests said they were "breathtaking" and "amazing." Loretta was prompt in her answer to every e-mail/call, no matter how weird it was. She hand delivered our guest book to me the day before the wedding at the spa, relieving any stress I had about getting it there on time.
But more than anything, Wanamaker was courteous, professional, uber-creative, friendly, and FUN!! I am recommending them to all of my engaged friends!! — Kaitlin And Jeffrey
