Okay. So far, it has been a summer full of smoke from the Great Dismal Swamp fire.

Every day in Virginia Beach and Norfolk we wonder if the smoke is going to have blown off enough to go outside. Can today’s photo session happen or not? Is the smoke too bad to breathe at the location? [Which changes from hour to hour] It is getting kind of depressing not only for myself, but for other photographers across the Hampton Roads area as well. A real rescheduling nightmare! Can you say “studio,” anyone?

But, finally there is something burning that I’m anxiously awaiting! July 10th is the date of the Burn Notice premiere.

Honestly, I never watched an entire episode of Magnum PI back in the day. In fact, I never really got into the action genre on TV or even in movies before, but the superb, smart writing and acting on this show has really reeled me in. Heck, my whole family can’t wait for the first episode this season. July 10th can’t come soon enough for us!

Generally, summer tv is boring. Treat yourself to something good: Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar and Bruce Campbell as Michael Westen, Fiona and Sam.

Rent the entire first season or download it onto your Tivo from Amazon. You have time to catch up and watch the incredible finale before July 10th. You won’t regret it.

Forgive me if you’ve heard me say this before, but custom photography is not for everyone.

For some people, leaning up against a carpet covered stand at a bargain photo chain and saying “Cheese” is great. The price is right. Everyone is managing to show their best forced grimace smile. Done.

For other people, average just isn’t good enough. They want more. They want something special. Something that spotlights the individuality of their family. They know that hiring the best photographer to capture the images of their family is tantamount to getting timeless, one-of-a-kind portraits that will be passed down and treasured from generation to generation. These are the people that choose to go with a custom portrait photographer.

A custom photographer that will take the time to help show different sides of your family’s personalities in your favorite surroundings. A custom photographer isn’t rushed. That means they are 100% invested in giving the clients what they really want to remember. They want to capture memories that show who their clients are.

As for the parents, they want to show Sally’s first tooth and how shy she was when she was that age. Or how adorable Baby Lucas’ tiny foot was when he was just 5 days old. Or they want their teenaged daughter to see the beautiful woman that she has become. Or they want to see how in love Mom and Dad looked during their vacation in Virginia Beach. There are as many possibilites and/or reasons for doing custom photography sessions as there are people that want them.

A while back a friend of mine passed along an article that was published in Real Simple magazine about professional custom photography. [Click on that green text to visit the link.] This article asks you to think of what is really important to you. I think most of my clients will agree with several (if not all) of the points made in it as they have already made capturing their families and their personalities a priority in their lives. They are my only session for the day. They get my full attention. They can take as many breaks as they need to rest, change clothes or diapers, snack, nurse, etc. Your child can hold their treasured “lovey” or you can sit on your quilt that Grandma lovingly made for you. Whatever you want. That is why they call it custom. …And it will be unlike any photo session that you’ve had before!

Hiring a custom portrait photographer means never having to hear:

“Sit here.”
“Chin up.”
“Say cheese.”
[Flash, flash]
“Okay, we’re all done here. …Next!”

Never!

Leslie

I have news about the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Youth Raffle last weekend in Norfolk, VA. Amberly Semones was the lucky winner of a free session and a 16 x 20 inch portrait from her session! Thanks to all of you that supported the SPY 2008 Mission Trip by purchasing a ticket!

I also have great news about my father Byron Yoder this week. He successfully underwent brain surgery at M.D. Anderson in Texas and is recovering quite nicely! It looks like he’ll still need to undergo radiation after he heals, but both of these should insure that he is around to harass and chase the fish along the Gulf Coast/Mobile Bay for years to come. ;-)

I’m busy catching up on correspondence that I missed last week. Yes, I am booking the always popular beach sessions now, but the available dates are limited. Call soon to ensure I can fit you in.

In the mean time, enjoy this incredible spring weather we’re having.

Leslie

Never be caught empty handed at the playground again!

Have you ever met someone that you really got along with at your local park or playgroup and you start to fumble around in your diaper bag to find something to give them contact info with? You might find wipes, dirty tissues and Cheerio crumbs, but nothing else.

[Sound familiar?]

With Leslie’s new Mommy and Me Cards, having no pen and no paper is no problem!

These stylish 2 x 3.5 inch cards will help you secure the best play dates for your little tike. With 8 card styles and 20 fonts to chose from, your Mommy and Me cards can either be as traditional or funky as you are! Ask how you can use your custom photos from your Leslie du Mont Photography session to be the hippest Mom around the sandbox!

Way cool, right? Well, I told you that this year was going to be incredible! ;-)

Tah tah for now,

Leslie

I’m all about supporting local artists! Especially when they are some of the Tidewater’s finest young musicians as well. Check out WAVA! [Pronounced wave-ah] On any given weekend you can find these guys playing around town or even selling out the Norva in downtown Norfolk. Yes, in fact, I’ll probably line up for tickets next time, too, despite my way un-cool advanced age!

My daughter has them playing in heavy rotation on her Ipod and will even be lucky enough to have them playing at her school’s Formal this year. [School choice has its privileges as the some of the talented Wava hipsters go there, too.] Go, dawgs!

Hmmm…maybe I should offer to shoot the band’s next promotional photos. Boys, call me!

Well, it certainly was a joy to photograph Miss J at a park in Virginia Beach last weekend.  This girl has a great all-American look, tons of charm and what I would call “old soul” wit.  Love, love, LOVE her.  J also has the voice of a songbird.  Just ask her about her singing competitions! 

I think we both agreed that she is now an honorary member of the du Mont family.  We even have our own homie handshake…which FYI makes me a pretty cool pretend-Mom.

Here is your sneak peak, Miss Thang!

I’ve got a busy work week ahead of me including proofing two sessions and a local photographers’ get-together this am.  At least I can check blogging off my list today!

Bye for now.

Leslie

FYI, I’ll be out of the office May 5th and 6th.  I’m travelling to Richmond, VA for the “Captivated by the Light” Workshop with Ed Pierce.  Continued education is so important for photographers as the industry is constantly changing.  I’m really looking forward to learning a lot there.  I will have internet access in the evenings and will be back in the office on May 7th.  BTW, I’m still trying to pressure my best friend/business advisor/client L. to tag along with me for the boondoggle business trip!

This week I met with a wonderful bunch of photographers for coffee at a Virginia Beach Starbucks.  All of these girls are so creative and busy!  We laughed and shared stories for several hours.  There really is so much to learn from all of our experiences.  We’ve even decided to meet twice a month- once in Norfolk and once in VA Beach to try and make it so that everyone can at least make it to one of the meetings.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for Norfolk Academy’s “Field Day” on May 2nd!  Not only is this a fun and activity-full day for the children, but thanks to the heirloom plant sales, book exchange, and the antique silver and painted furniture sales, it is also fun for adults!  Well, it is fun if you like an exciting day of finding unexpected treasures!

Have a nice weekend.  The weather is supposed to be beautiful for my Saturday session with J.  I can’t wait!

Leslie

   

Well, that was quick. We only have one more April Spring Fling available!  I had two sessions booked already. Congratulations on your free 11×14’s, H and V families! Who will be the next and final lucky family to pick a park? 

How does the Spring Fling special work?  Simply call and book a session between now and May 20th at a local Virginia Beach, Norfolk, or Chesapeake area park.  This special was limited to the first three people that booked a session with Leslie du Mont Photography. Two have already booked. If you call soon, you can win a free 11×14 portrait from your session, too! Simple, eh? 

FYI, yesterday afternoon I discovered that my business cell number has been switching straight to voicemail and not notifying me of new calls since mid-March!  Ugh, I was hoping that was an April Fools joke, but it wasn’t. All it took was a quick trip to the local store to buy a new phone to remedy the situation, but I quickly realized just how many calls I missed in that amount of time.  :-(   Luckily, I think all of my clients have been in contact via email anyway, but if not, I certainly apologize for the inconvenience and I’ll be returning your calls asap…with the new phone.

Take care.

Leslie