Category: Events
Hi everyone! Summer is such a great time of year but it sure is easy to skip a blog post or two, lol. Don’t worry, I haven’t forgot you I’ve just been super busy lately. I will be posting client sneak peeks towards the end of the month. Honsetly, I have been blessed with amazing clients and terrific opportunities this year. Some wonderful changes have been made around here and I wanted to take a moment and share the news!
1. Creative Minds Workshops: These are a new addition this year. So far I have had the following topics: 50′s Fashion, Creative Boudoir and Fantasy. To view sample images, please visit my Lesson and Workshop web site They include a team of models and stylists and are capped at a small number so that everyone who attends get plenty of in the field practice. My degree is in the Arts and Education (and politics), so the decision to add edcuational workshops for photographers was an easy decision….and something I am very excited about. They’re affordable, too! Currently, I have three workshops open for registration. Two are in SE Michigan and one is in Dallas, TX. Cost is $450 per person, which includes lunch and all fees. The workshops are great for beginning photographers as well as business owners. We focus little on technical info and more on creative vision / communication to acheive sucessful images. The models who attend are age 17-25- (perfect to use in Senior Portrait Galleries or to attract young brides.) In addition, the workshops have a male/female couple (great for engagement photographers) and children (family photographers). The styling teams help us create an ideal image- giving your final products an artistic edge (all photographers) and will most definitely enhance your current portfolio.
* I have decided to offer a special STARTING NOW through 11:59 pm EST on JULY 26th (my b-day) for my SE Michigan workshops/mentorships. If you would like to attend either one, send me an email at jenlynnalder@aol.com or on Facebook with the code A15 in the subject line and I will take $100 off of your tuition. The current workshop options are: WHIMSY on Sunday, August 15th with models and kids & AUTUMN LOVE on Saturday, October 9th with models and kids.
2. Brand new- MINI SESSIONS are now available. For a fraction of the cost, clients can now book 30 minute sessions that include a dozen retouched images on DVD for only $350. Availability is limited… but these are ideal for parents who want frequently updated images of their children, anyone who needs a current head shot or digital files to put on their business web site, or folks who love custom photography but are on a budget. Take advantage of this new option! Call or send a note to book your date today.
3. Digital Portrait Packages are now available. I still offer full service photography printing for customers who prefer it; however, with the exception of wedding albums and Senior Portraits, I am now a full digital photographer. Clients will now receive all slide show images burned to a DVD included in their session price. No more sitting fees or minimum purchase requirements.
4. Class of 2011, Seniors- contact me for some FABULOUS deals and sessions that are fun, fun, fun!
5. Ladies….. if you have been wanting to get your Boudoir pictures remember that Summer is coming to an end. Be sure to schedule soon if you want to show off your great bikini body/tan. I can still fit you in. 
6. Online Photography Lessons- Yep! I am still giving them. You can take lessons on editing or any photography related topic (custom request) at any skill level from the comfort of your own home via email. They are one-on-one. Limited spots available for Aug/Sept. Contact me if you want to enroll.
Yep, you read that right! I am officially announcing a new workshop. And guess what? It’s in Dallas, Texas!!!! I will be going from Point A to Point B on the map below to meet up with my beautiful hostesses, Michelle Frick and Sheila Bottoms , and I can’t be more excited about it.
Want to join us? Please do! The Monday, September 20th, Vintage Garden workshop is open to the first (10) registered photographers. I opened up registration to those on the waitlist a day early, so there are currently only 8 spots remaining.
Curious about more information? Keep reading! Oh, and check out my quick polyvore inspired board below….
Theme: Vintage Garden with models and stylists
Focus: Creative Vision, communication and use of location with models and stylists
Location: Dallas area gardens
Cost: $450 per person which includes lunch and fees
Time: 10am – 5pm
What to bring: A good attitude, camera, variety of lenses, an open mind and comfortable shoes. Laptop is optional, but not required.
Who can attend: Photographers of ALL levels- beginner to business owner, hobbyists welcome!
If you would like to view a sample schedule, please visit my website Lessons & Workshop Information section
or the the Lesson & Workshop tab atop this blog.
There will be 4-6 diverse models present at this workshop. All participants will get plenty of one-on-one/small group time with these fabulous folks! Participants are welcome to use the images from this workshop to build portfolios and include on personal websites but are not permitted to use images for commerical photography/image sale purposes. Please keep in mind that I am planning this workshop far from home- which means I must rely on phone/email for many of the details with the Texas native models and stylists. The photo board above is of invited/confirmed model possibilities but is subject to change at any time. I will update any changes to this board when and if necessary.
*** To Register: Contact Us Soon via email or on Facebook . Spots are reserved on a first come, first served (paid) basis. We look forward to seeing you! This workshop is going to be SOOOO much fun.
*If (10) participants are not obtained by 30 days before the workshop date full refunds will be issued. This workshop is rain or shine, no refunds but entry may be transferred to another photographer.
Happy June everyone! It is soooooo great to officially be in the Summer season, isn’t it??? I am super excited about working with some awesome Seniors and amazing Kids/Families… along with doing a workshop or two. And, of course, when I am not working…. soaking up the Sun.
I don’t usually blog about family/personal stuff too often, but I am trying to do so more frequently. My niece and nephew, Melanie and Dylan, both turned 10 years old during the past couple of weeks. They were born 10 days apart 10 years ago and I CANNOT BELIEVE how fast time flies by. Since I don’t have kids of my own, I am extra attached to my nieces and nephews. Both of the kids had super fun parties with family and kids from school. Love these kids a TON. It was so fun to spend the day with them both. Mel’s party was at home with pizza, a pinata, loads of girly fun and one of Grandma’s famous cakes. The girls had fun with sidewalk chalks, bubbles, taking down a colorful pinata filled with yummy treats and other games . Have a look at just a few of the shots:
Dylan’s party was at a local arcade/go-kart/laser tag establishment called Paradise Park and it was a GREAT place for a party… especially for boys. They drove Go-Karts, jumped on an enormous trampoline, played video games and earned tokens for prizes. They even challenged another birthday party full of boys at Laser Tag (and won!). There was pizza to be had, ice cream snacks, sporty decorations and super service from the staff.
And… yesterday I got to spend half a day with my other niece, Chelsey. Chelsey is 2.5 years old and is soooo cute, expressive and just fun to be around. She has recently started talking more and I love this stage in a kid’s life. They reveal so much of their personality with words all of their own and I just eat it up. I tried to convince her to go take fairy photos with me but for some reason, she just wasn’t having it. lol. Not even candid style… she just was NOT in the mood. I did, however, grab a couple shots of her very quickly (in partial fairy costume) but had to bribe her with ice cream. I know they are not perfect but they are family snapshots and I love them anyhow.
Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to stay tuned. I have some fun upcoming sessions this month that you won’t want to miss!
On Saturday my father, David Alder, held a fabulous golf outing at Moose Ridge Golf in SE Michigan. All proceeds from the outing will be donated to the Michigan Vietnam Veterans Monument Fund. This is a monument which honors the fallen Veterans of Michigan. Every year we have a great turn out and a fantastic time! My job is to help coordinate, set up and photograph (of course) the teams throughout the day.
This year we were especiallly thankful for the largest number of participants we have ever had, no rain, terrific support from the staff at Moose Ridge, lots of amazing sponsors + donations and an incredible dinner put on by Chef Paul and Jessica. Yummy- best food I eat all year!!!
Pictured: Matt (Moose Ridge Manager) and David Alder (head of Vietnam Veterans Monument Fund Golf Outing) prior to the start of the event.
I just wanted to thank all of you who came out and can’t wait to see you all again next time. :)
The theme was It’s a girl/Fantasy where we had a princess castle cake, hanging fairies, butterflies, pink boas and a glass bulb centerpiece. The colors were pink and silver. For games and lunch, the guests were seated at 4 large round tables (of 10) at my Mom’s home.
And here is the amazing Princess Castle Cake, made by my Mom! Although it was hard to watch her cut and serve such a beautiful creation, the dessert tasted absolutely amazing. Loved this:
The second game was a “Mom’s favorite recipe” game whereby each guest received a Recipe Card and was asked to share a favorite recipe from their Mom (or as a mom themselves) with the Mom-to-be. The cards were collected and placed in a small book for the guest of honor. The winning guests at this party game were the three who included chicken as the main ingredient- because chicken is Nicole’s favorite food. Winners of both games received leather photo albums, boxes of artistic note cards and a Yankee Candle jar.
After the games were completed, Nicole and her Mother sat together and opened gifts. There sure were a ton of them!!
And Megan acted so helpful by recording the gifts per guest so that Nicole would have an easier time with thank you cards. What a cutie she is. 
When the gift opening was over the guests all enjoyed a late lunch. On the menu was chicken breasts, Caesar/Greek salads, potatoes, various fruits, fresh breads- chocolates, jello, and cake.
And here are a few more candids of the fam/guests-
Ok, there were no pics of me here so I yanked this one off of Facebook,cropped, changed to b/w. I am not positive which relative took it, but thanks!
A great day, it was. And we are all excited to meet this little princess of yours, Nicole….
Thanks for stopping by !!!! Stay tuned for future posts.
I will have some new model & boudoir stuff to share over the next week.
